Justice Corp: Gamma (The Golden Knights)
by shenandoahok
Summary: Jimmy McGinnis builds the Golden Knights, and takes on an old evil in the universe: The Green Lantern Corp. In the process, he searches for the traitors in his organization who handed over pertinent military secrets to Moxia, and tries building powerful Battlecruisers to stop his fleet of Demon Class Ships, Warbirds and Parasitic Vessels. (Read Justice Corp: Gamma First)
1. Chapter 1

Prologue

Niona walked into the Demon's cafeteria with a poster of her beloved sister, stuck it on the wall, and then looked it over for a second. It was partly crowded with Jimmy and T'Nalia watching her from the other side of the cafeteria. She handed the posters to several of the Classmen to hang throughout the ship with her sister's digitally aged picture on the right side. The woman in the poster was a Neonotium with orange hair, a green visage, and her name was Eoni Iobi. She had been missing for a number of years, at least since Niona was the age of nine. When Jimmy saw the photos posted on the ship's walls, he looked at them with a grimace, and asked Niona, "Do you think hanging those up will work?" He knew more about her sister than he let on, but couldn't tell her what happened to her. Due to the previous timeline, Jimmy had involved her sister in several nefarious situations, and because of her empathic abilities, he employed her services because he understood what he had done.

"I haven't seen her since my ninth birthday," she said. "My father, Prince Iobi, asked me to spread these around the universe." She watched Jimmy closely for a moment, and then stood in front of the poster with her arms folded. She made sure it was straight on the wall, and once she assured it was straight, she turned to him, and smiled.

Jimmy squirmed at the sight of her sister plastered on the wall and then said, "We've only been back on Doraxia for a few weeks." He placed his right arm around her for a moment. "Soon, we'll have a fleet of ships patrolling all over the galaxy, and if she's out there, we'll find her." He knew exactly where she was located, and from the way she advertised Eoni's status, he feared it would blow her cover; but at the same time, he couldn't allow her to know what he knew.

"I just ask the Laws of Reason that she's okay," she said with a smile. She looked somber and prestiges-and royal like, and because of that, he placed his right hand around the back of her neck, and pressed his forehead gently against hers. "I miss her so much, General. That's the reality of it."

"We'll find her," he said softly. He could feel Niona's hurt. The idea that her sister had been missing since she was ten-years-old cut her deeply. "If she's out there…"

"Can't you use your powerful mind…?" She asked. Placing her right hand on the side of his temple, she smiled softly. "When I saw you train Tina how to be a Lantern from forty light years away, I'm sure you could detect Eoni anywhere. Your mind is stronger than anything I've ever experienced."

"I don't feel her presence at all," he said with a grimace. He couldn't detect her because she was located on the other side of the Denison Barrier. The entire barrier stretched thousands of light years, and the radiation in it blocked all communications and telepathic thought. "I can feel your other twenty-eight siblings, but…," he said.

"Then maybe the Laws of Reason are unreasonable in this case," she said with a brittle voice. "Maybe she's gone."

"Colonel, that's not how we think," he said. For a moment, he thought she was manipulating him to open his mind to her. "Don't lose hope. If anything, she's farther than my mind can reach. Across the Denison Barrier."

She smirked. "In a Neonotium ship?" She asked. "Her conveyance only traveled at warp three." She shook her head in disbelief, and then said, "It would take twenty something years to travel out of your reach."

"Wasn't she a Sapphire?" Jimmy asked. He realized immediately that he should have walked away from the conversation because he hated lying to her. She had a way of prying information out of him, and he needed to be extremely careful with his words.

"True. But she had disappeared by the time the Sapphires found me," she said.

Jimmy knew the only reason the Sapphires found her was because he told them where to look, but he'd never tell her that. Specifically, he talked to an evil Sapphire named Perilous Pearl, and he promised to pay her thirty million dollars in gold to save her life. It happened when he was around twelve-years-old, and he had a telepathic connection to her. After Niona hooked up with the Sapphires, Pearl tormented Niona, and he promised her if she touched her one more time that that he'd cause her to have a brain bleed. "Maybe she's working for the better good, Niona. It's possible." Jimmy thought back to when Niona came aboard the Demon, and he came into her hovel after Su'Ra, his wife, went to sleep. The telepathic length he had with Niona kept breaking because of her horrid memories of how Pearl tortured her.

"What are you doing, Jimmy?" Niona asked. "We need to discuss sexual guidelines, marriage, and everything with Su'Ra before we engage in coitus."

"I'm not here for that," he said softly. "I do love you, and that's why I'm here." He grabbed a hold of her, and went deep into her mind, mapped out a set of new memories, and trained her in the ways of the ancient Lanterns. He was in her room for nearly two hours constantly filling her head with fighting techniques of the ancients. It was his ring that gave him the abilities to imbue her with powerful fighting skills. Once he finished, she believed that Pearl taught her, and by doing that, he was able to keep a constant telepathic connection with her.

Niona paused for a moment, and thought back to her sister. "Huh. Eoni left abruptly in her conveyance," she said. "Father didn't upset her or anything like that. She wasn't estranged from the family or anything. It makes no sense." She cried for a moment. "Maybe somebody will recognize her from these fliers."

Six years later, Terry, Jessica, Vivian, T'Nalia, Raydon, Blake, Little Terry, Niona, Karen, S'Rae F'Nare, and John sat in the audience at Glassco University on Doraxia to watch Jimmy receive his doctorate in Transwarp Theory. A young woman in plain, Doraxian clothing named CheCha T'Naga stood in the crowd, and Jimmy looked over at her several times. Jimmy directed her with his telepathy to move closer to his wives, and ensure they were always in her sight. When Jimmy walked across the stage, T'Rolo placed the beret on his head, and he was holding Little Terry in the process. People from the crowd screamed, "Doraxia loves you, General."

Jimmy waved at his two wives: T'Nalia and Niona, and Little Terry was smiling wildly. He then said, "I love you back, Doraxia." The crowd cheered so loudly that it drowned out the speaker. Since Little Terry was half Neonodium, holding his son while receiving his doctorate was a tacit show of support for his wife's people. It must have been more than one hundred graduating with different types of degrees, but only six people in the Doctorate programs were in the audience. T'Dank and T'Nalia, Jimmy's father-n-law, was in the audience too, and even though all he needed in the audience was the exact people who came, he couldn't help but think about the real Superman. He didn't even know the real Superman, but he thought there was a connection with him. In the year twenty-twenty-five, the real Superman disappeared and the imposter took his place, and now Jimmy felt he might have been captured. He had John Diggle and his father, Terry McGinnis, keeping their ears close to the ground for any clues of the Man of Steel.

In the other timeline, the General had a total of ten wives, and Niona knew of them all but one. His first wife was T'Nalia, and the Lantern's murdered her. Niona was his second wife, but their wedding was a clandestine affair in the last timeline. He didn't engage in coitus with her until after she turned forty-five, but they made love on a telepathic level. His third wife was Checha, and they had four kids. Now, Niona, Checha, and his fifth wife, S'Rae F'Nare all knew each other, but when it came to his fourth wife, only Niona knew her, but she didn't know her sister, Eoni, was alive. He kept Eoni far away from his other wives unless she was in disguise. When Jimmy received his Doctorate, S'Rae F'Nare was eleven years old, and had started her third year of Officer Lantern School. She was a stowaway on a Peridian vessel when the General discovered her on his honeymoon with Niona. The precocious child's telepathic and empathic abilities were so strong that she had vivid memories of the previous timeline, and immediately bowed before Jimmy as soon as she saw him. Meanwhile, she sat with Jimmy's family quietly watching the ceremony.

It was two years (six Earth years) after the liberation of the Earth from the Kryptonians, and General T'Mcginnis had manned warships actively protecting Doraxian space. It was a glorious time for Jimmy and his family, and for the Federation of Yellow Lanterns. Jimmy referred to his individual Lanterns as Golden Knights. The first three thousand recruits graduated from the school, and many of the Sinestro Corp had applied for a position in the Yellow Lantern Corp.

"You are my first Knights. We will bring a new era to the universe. We will bring about a safer universe," Jimmy said as he stood on stage in front of a sea of men and women dressed in gold and black.

The crowd of intergalactic cops dressed in their honorary suits gave him a feel-good feeling that he couldn't shake. The black and yellow uniforms stretched over the entire campus, and Jessica, Vivian, Tina, and Irita were all in the first graduating class. He had ships for Jessica, Tina, Irita, and Vivian, but when it came to his former Sinestro recruits, he had an immediate distrust of them, and he tried to judge them on their merits, but he struggled with it. When the graduation ended, the city of Glassco held a huge event for the advent of the Yellow Lantern Corp. It was a block party that covered the entire downtown area, and it was also televised. Checha T'Naga wore black glasses, and she walked behind Jimmy's family the entire time. She was inconspicuous because none of her movements or dress were flamboyant. Jimmy and T'Nalia stood in the center of the city in their Yellow Lantern attire, and Niona gave him away to his first wife; they married for the second time in front of millions of people, and Niona stood on the other side of Jimmy. When T'Rolo asked T'Nalia if she took him as her husband, she walked over to Niona, and asked her permission to share her husband, and Niona said, "Yes." When T'Rolo asked Jimmy if he wanted to marry T'Nalia, he turned to Niona, and asked her permission if he may take another wife, and she said, "Yes." The same thing happened except in reverse when Jimmy married Niona on Neostar.

Jimmy and T'Nalia took another honeymoon on the Miritic Moon approximately seventy-five light years from Doraxia, and it was a secured room away from the normal guess. Her parents had Raydon and Blake, and they were busy learning about the Nalia family history, and Jimmy felt good that his sons would be entrenched in knowledge about his wife's family. He knew a lot about Superman's history, but that wasn't necessarily the history he wanted to tell them. Terry was reticent when it came to his parents, and Jimmy only knew the basics.

Niona was temporary commander of the Demon, and she helped with the cost of the honeymoon. It was tradition that the other wife paid for the expenses of the new wife. It was crazy because Jimmy and T'Nalia were already married, but the first wedding was done secretly, outside the eyes of the public. People who weren't familiar with the polygamous marriages on Doraxia might be under the impression that wild threesomes took place, but that was far from the truth. Niona had slept in between Jimmy and T'Nalia on several occasions, but they were strictly platonic gatherings. Jimmy had a strong, independent sexual bond with both women, but when it came to the two women, it was unwaveringly platonic at all times. When it came to T'Nalia, Jimmy loved her with the passion of his heart first, and then the mind. But when it came to Niona, Jimmy loved her with his mind first, and then the heart.

"Jimmy, you have to write a better SOP on the trans-warp tech," she said. It was more like a mumbling because she was busy trying to find her black bathing suit. "We can't let that tech get into enemy hands." She rifled through her suitcase for her black bathing suit that Jimmy liked. "Found it." She held it up for Jimmy to see.

He sat on the edge of the bed, and pulled off his pants, tossed them in the middle of the floor, and then sat back on the bed. "I have forty pages written about it, and I'd like you to review it," he said, "my thesis is all theoretical," he said, "I didn't want the applied concepts of trans technology published. I didn't think about the ramifications of the tech during the design phase."

"The Universe isn't ready for such technology. That's for sure," she said, "I'm not sure if we're ready for it."

Jimmy lay in the middle of the bed, and watched his first wife put on her black bathing suit. "The Council of Science will have to know about the tech at some point," he said. "It's Top-Secret, and all my majors and intelligence officers know it's not to be discussed. I didn't tell Major T'Dank about it, but Captain Jade knows. The first generation of devices allows for a ship to hop fifty light years."

"Honestly, I never imagined you'd build something so useful," she said, "Niona and Jimmy dropped Captain Jade off on The Blue Dragon patrolling over Praxis like an hour after the wedding, and back in less than half a day. "Su'Ra T'Nalia shook her head in disbelief. "I still can't believe it. Jimmy, you've single handedly pushed Doraxian space technology hundreds of years ahead."

"My Second was so mad that we tested the first device on her rinky-dinky ship," Jimmy said. He smirked for a moment. "It came back smoking."

Su'Ra laughed. "By the way, I did read E'Da T'Naga's journals. I was dismayed and frightened at his accuracy of our lives."

"I do stay up at nights wondering if my love for you and Niona is written in my DNA," he said, "According to the historical data of my ring, I believe you two are written in my DNA. In the start up to our relationship, I should have dumped you for lying to me about my Destroyer ring. Every time I wanted to leave you alone, your tug on my heart grew stronger and stronger."

"Niona said the same thing after you blew up all those Battlecruisers. She tried to hate you for it, and she couldn't. I went through the same pain when I tried to break up with you." She grimaced. "You know your Lieutenant Colonel cried for a week when you tried to give her a ship? Even after you guys married, she worried you'd give her a ship."

"She's my Lieutenant Colonel, and I was obligated to ask her before anybody else," he said, "I didn't want her to go. In five more years, she has to head the Academy, and she'll be a General by then." Jimmy paused for a moment, and then said, "T'Naga's journals discusses this nexus between us, but it doesn't tell us the source. He states what will be, but not why," Jimmy said, "If I find the source, maybe I'll destroy it."

T'Nalia gave Jimmy a cold stare, and she squinted her eyes. "I'll break your hands if Niona doesn't break them first."

"Just the thought a source of our love exists makes me want to find it, and then hide it somewhere so nobody can ever find it again. It feels so good to love you that I never want it to end," he said, "Do you know we're still having unexpected sex in the weirdest of places after seven years?"

"Yeah. I was there believe it or not," she said, "Sometimes I wonder."

"Okay smart-ass," Jimmy said. Suddenly, Jimmy looked serious; his countenance was completely off, and T'Nalia caught on quickly.

"What's wrong?" She hopped on the bed, put her arms around her husband, and then asked, "Tell me, Jimmy? I see that look in your eyes."

"Your father wants you to head the Lantern Academy," he said calmly. He didn't want to raise his voice and ruin the intimacy in the room, but it was probably too late. It was an important topic, and he knew he'd probably have to resort to the fake vagina that T'Nalia made for him. At first, he wasn't going to pack it, but he knew at some point he had to discuss the reassignment topic. He didn't mind the fake vagina after he had the real thing, but he realized his timing was all messed up.

She rolled off the bed, walked over to the other side of the bed with her arms folded, and asked, "What did you tell him?" Her upper lip was curved downward in an angry manner, but she wasn't upset with Jimmy. She paced back and forth in her spot, and he could tell she was stressed.

"I told him you were best with Niona and me on the Demon," he said. Gently, he held her buttocks; he kept her from pacing, and then she pouted. "But he used the Raydon and Blake argument, Su'Ra. It was a low blow."

She became huffy. "I'm not going to do it, Jimmy. I don't want that assignment so soon. I can bring both kids on the ship. We're in strict administrative roles anyway. I'm representing Doraxia and Niona represents Neostar. All we do is meet and greet and act as dignitaries. We only have to tackle the high ranking administrative actions, but the majority of administrative actions happen at the command level. This really sucks, Jimmy!"

"I can talk to T'Rauna to head the Academy for the next two years," he said, "She might do it. But I can't let a former Sinestro Corp near the top position. "

"That's true, but did you ask T'Dank?" She asked.

"I have a problem with him," he said. "It's his damn nephew."

"I didn't know you when he and I had relations," she said, "It was meaningless."

"I've never cared about that," he said, "I knew about that anyway. My issue is he put his nephew in command of the Blue Dragon. That's why I have my intelligence officer on the ship. That idiot left his bridge unattended twice, and I know he's holding parties on the ship. I should have asked for his resignation immediately, but T'Dank asked me to give him another chance. This nepotism has to end. At least I can prove Vivian and Jessica are worthy commanders."

Jessica was a major in the Yellow Lantern Corp, and she commanded the Blue Hellion, a warship capable of warp five. It had two parasitic shuttles, and two gamma cannons with eight powerful positronic lasers. She had a crew of seventy-five soldiers, and four of them were Yellow Lanterns. The Blue Hellion patrolled Thoraxian air-space, and she had already engaged a Battlecruiser who tried to kidnap Thoraxian citizens. The Thoraxian military had sixteen, elite soldiers from their military serving on the Blue Hellion, and each one of them came with Cobra, retractable wing fighter planes. They tore into that Battlecruiser, and chased them out of Thoraxian airspace. Jimmy inspected the Blue Hellion every couple of months to make sure relations between Doraxians and Thoraxians were okay.

Jimmy offered Niona command of The World Creator, a Demon class ship, but she turned it down before he completed his sentence. The World Creator was a codename the Doraxian people used, but the actual name of the ship was the Demonia. The ship was under a mass upgrade that would set it apart from all the other ships in the fleet. By the time the robots finished upgrading the ship, it would hold eight thousand lanterns, and all their parasites. It would look like a large spider with its babies on her back, and have the ability to deploy almost anywhere in the universe. Unfortunately, Niona didn't want the ship unless Jimmy set up the entire command structure on the Demonia. She wanted to command the Demonia, and run all the executive decisions out of it. If that wasn't the case, she settled for the Operation Officer's job on the Blue Demon, and it was a Colonel's position. Jimmy commanded the ship and T'Nalia was co-commander. The ship had two hundred soldiers on it, but only officers were allowed on the bridge, and they had to be bridge officers. When the ship orbited any planet, the four parasitic shuttles with eight men crews patrolled the area.

Captain Diggle was the pilot of the Blue Demon, and she did an admirable job. Karen was the communications officer, and the youngest person on the ship. She was now thirteen-years-old, and had spent four Earth years on Earth training with a secret society called the Silver Blades. They were a powerful group of women on Paradise Island. They trained her in combatives, bullets and bracelets, and sword fighting. She was now considered an expert.

When Jimmy tried to give Niona her own Demon class ship, it cut her deeply because she wanted to serve under him indefinitely. She pushed her sadness into him with her telepathic abilities, and made him feel her pain. She overwhelmed him with so much grief that he had to sit down in his command chair, and gently massage her on a mental level. "Niona, I had to offer you your own ship before anybody in the Yellow Lantern Corp. You're my Second and Lieutenant Colonel, and I love you."

"It just hurt, sir," she said in a mental whisper. "It felt like you wanted me off the Demon."

"I'm going to be honest with you, Niona," he said, "I didn't want you to take the command. I wanted you here with me until you take charge of the Academy."

Two Doraxian years earlier…

After the Demon returned from earth, Jimmy wanted to have sex with T'Nalia four times in the same night. Their bodies were swirled together in a pool of sweat, and he was interacting with her mind on a telepathic level. He teased her on a cerebral level, and it intensified her climaxes to the point that she blurted out, "Honestly, if you and Niona have a private liaison, I'll look the other way." Jimmy looked at her for a second, and at first, he thought she was kidding, but she never said it was a joke.

He rolled over on his back, and looked at the ceiling of his hovel, and said with a grimace, "It's no secret how I feel about her since you read T'Naga's journals." He lamented. She laid her head on his lap. "Don't you get that I can't lose you and I don't want to lose your trust?"

"For three years you've been pounding this blue girl's vagina into oblivion, and mind fucking me at the same time," she said, "I've given this a lot of thought, Jimmy. I love the sex, but my mind isn't built for the telepathic intrusions."

"I haven't played with the idea of being with Niona," he said. For a while, neither one of them said anything as she laid her head on his upper right thigh. A wife who gave her husband permission to sleep with another woman might be losing interest in him, and he couldn't help but think that way about T'Nalia. To keep his sanity, he tried to find the right words for the occasion. Her head was on his lap, and she seemed to be in and out of sleep. She was completely nude, and he slid his right hand over her head for a moment. Jimmy listed several reasons to not physically sleep with Niona, but the main one was it would change the dynamic of his relationship with both T'Nalia and her. Besides, she was in his direct chain of command, and if anybody found out about it, it could cause a rift in the Yellow Lantern Corp. "Have you lost interest in me sexually?" Jimmy asked. It seemed like the right question in his mind.

"Don't be silly," she said, "I'm all into you. I can't even look at another man sexually." Beat, she rolled over on her back, and then said, "I know there's a struggle inside of you, Jimmy. Some women would be upset that you loved another woman. If I didn't know the reason, I would be highly upset that you loved Niona." She paused for a moment, and looked directly at him. "Honestly, I think you need both of us. If she had died and not me, I think you'd have destroyed Oa in the same way. The nights you need her, go to her, but I know you will always come back to me."

"I need to think about this," he whispered. Her bowl cut had grown out, and he slid his hands through her hair. "What if you want let me touch you like this afterwards? I live for these aftersex moments."

She smiled sheepishly. "We'll be like this until death. Besides, you know how some days you can't be satisfied?"

"Yeah," he said.

"I think Niona is the balance," she said, "You have my blessing to love her sexually."

Two months after Jimmy received his doctorate he attended Vivian's Intelligence officer graduation with T'Nalia, Niona, Tina Diggle, and Jessica, and he had never seen her so happy. They threw her a huge party afterwards, and she barely drank any of Doraxia's good wine. Jimmy kept telling her to loosen' up, but she wasn't trying to act a fool. She attended Glassco University, and sailed through the Yellow Lantern Officer's course, and then she spent two months on Zaar in the Officer's Intelligence course, and Jimmy immediately frocked her to the rank of a major, and now she patrolled Earth. She commanded Annihilator One, a powerful ship that moved at warp eight. It had thirteen powerful lasers, at least two for every region of the vessel. In addition, the ship had one gamma cannon, and as far as the crew, it had sixty-five Doraxian soldiers with sixteen Korean soldiers. Jimmy constantly inspected her crew, and when Vivian asked for Tina to be reassigned to Earth, he told her it was never going to happen.

"I know you think I hate you, Vivian," Jimmy said, "But I don't. Tina's job is on the Demon, and she rolls with me. It's nothing against you, but she's on the big missions. She's my pilot."

"I just miss her, sir," She said.

"You can talk to her during the down times," he said, "Just use the boxes."

"It's different," she said.

"The crew is heading to Brion-Noir," he said, "I will give her a two-week respite on Earth before we leave. She can take one of the parasitic vessels, and visit you."

"Thank you, sir," Vivian said.

"Take care of yourself, Vivian," Jimmy said.

Jimmy wanted Vivian to learn other cultures, and he purposely filled her ship with some Korean soldiers who were on six month rotations. Her mother had come to the United States, but hit hard times, and Vivian ended up surviving in the sewers. He had hoped the Koreans would introduce her to their culture, and give her an opportunity to learn about her people. It was the beginning of her journey in learning about herself.

John Diggle Jr. turned down the opportunity to serve in the Yellow Lantern Corp, and he gave the excuse that Star City needed him. He begged him to keep an ear to the ground for the whereabouts of the real Superman. Jimmy didn't believe he had any business on Earth since the people rejected him after the Kryptonians left. He went back to the Council of Science, and they told him it wouldn't be wise to give Earth warp technology; therefore, he gave them sub-warp technology because their culture wasn't ready for intergalactic travel. Earthlings were petty and full of prejudices, and Doraxia didn't want to take on that responsibility. Some company in Africa and Korea worked on ships that would travel between planets in the solar system, and Jimmy already had plans to terraform several planets that humans could populate. He traveled to Mars with Niona on a parasitic vessel when he tested his transwarp technology, and made telepathic contact with the White Martians. They tried to attack him telepathically, and he nearly crushed them with his powers. He told them that he didn't realize the White Martians existed, and that one day, he'd want to bring them into the Federation of Yellow Lanterns. In addition, he told them about the alien threat in the region, and an alliance between the races was important.

Jimmy and Niona flew the parasitic vessel to Saturn's moon, Titan, and did a survey of it. The report read that the planet had just as much nitrogen as Earth, and had some oxygen too. The ship's computer read that it was the perfect candidate for Terraforming, and Niona agreed with the readout. They sent the data back to the Blue Demon, and T'Nalia analyzed the reading, and she also agreed Titan was a prime candidate for terraforming.

The Federation Uniform was black khakis with a yellow name tag on the right and the Yellow Lantern Corp on the left. They wore berets with black, shiny boots. The officers had their ranks on the shoulders while the enlisted had their ranks on the upper arms. There was a female dress that T'Nalia designed, and it was a plain, black dress with no flare. It had many pockets with the rank on the right pocket, but the name and organizational tags were in the same place. Niona had her sleeves rolled up to the biceps, and her emerald arms were slender and feminine looking. She had a medium sized bust with a small waist. She had solid orange hair pulled back in a ponytail with a small noise. Her eyebrows were also orange, and she talked with an accent, when she did talk. Rarely, did she verbally speak to Jimmy. She only spoke to Jimmy telepathically or she didn't really talk to him at all. Jimmy and her often spent hours talking telepathically, even when they were light years apart.

"You know it's Madi meat and pip eggs the whole time," he whispered telepathically.

"Earth is right there," she said telepathically. "We can get a pizza."

After Karen returned from Paradise Island, she was thirteen-years-old, and in fantastic shape. According to her, she spent the majority of time training on her art, and she was now a master swordsman. Su'Ra brought Raydon and Blake onboard the ship, and they were six and two years old in Earth years, but only two and a few months in Doraxian's years. Raydon was already reading and writing, but T'Nalia kept him studying daily. Niona brought Little Terry on the ship once a week, and then took him back to Neostar with her parents. She claimed it was tradition, but Jimmy objected to it. He felt he wasn't getting enough time with his child.

Captain Diggle sat in the pilot's chair with the Brain Helmet, Karen was on communications, and Niona was the Operations Officer. Her post was watching for alien vessels. The ship had two hundred soldiers onboard, and most were of the Old Guard. . Fifteen Lieutenants were onboard the vessel, one hundred lower enlisted, thirty non-commissioned officers, one General, One Colonel, One Lieutenant Colonel, six Captains, two Majors, and the rest were scientists. Niona was the Commander of the Battalion of soldiers, and T'Nalia Commanded over all the ships between Earth to Praxis. Niona was looking over incident reports, but her Captains were over the companies. There were four units, and each unit had one Captain. Tina Diggle wasn't in command of anything except piloting the ship. The other Captain, Taylon T'Mac was Niona's assistant, and he would come and go on the bridge. Major T'Naga who had an assignment on the Dragon worked directly for Niona.

"Captain Diggle, did you put in your leave?" Jimmy asked.

"Yes, sir," she said, "I leave in a day."

"Make sure you lock the ship down on your mother's vessel," he said.

"Yes, sir," she said.

Niona looked into her visor, and whispered telepathically to Jimmy, and said, "Nothing's out there. It's smooth selling to Praxis. Can't believe Kal-El wants you to be the twin's godfather."

"I know," he whispered to her telepathically. "We'll pay him a visit, but this is a surprise inspection on Major T'Dank," he whispered. "He's not being responsible."

"Can I asked why you put him in command on a project of this importance?" She whispered telepathically.

"It had to do with his uncle," he whispered. "It's nepotism. I'm building a file on his butt because I have reports that he was on duty drunk."

"Oh. I stocked the food, and we have a wide variety of food this time," she said, "We have plenty of Madi meat and pip eggs, but a lot of other stuff too," she whispered telepathically.

He smiled. "We have to take care of Su'Ra," he said telepathically.

Jimmy sent out a mental vibe that tingled Niona's entire body, and she cleared her throat loudly. Everybody on the bridge looked over at her, and asked if she was okay. "Why did you do that?" She whispered telepathically.

"Want to find a closet," he said telepathically, "I was thinking about taking a stroll on the first floor."

"If we do this, you have to keep the telepathic foreplay to a minimum," she said. "Otherwise, I'd have to take the rest of the day off."

"Okay," he said telepathically, "Let's go."

She looked over at him, and both of them walked out of the room.

"I have the bridge," T'Nalia said.

Captain Diggle stopped the Demon half a light-year from Praxis, and Lieutenant Ragis, a young male Doraxian, took the pilot's seat. He was approximately twenty-two, frumpy, and long, black hair. His ears peeked through his long hair. He was slightly overweight, and he was on the overweight program. He wasn't a Yellow Lantern, but an officer in the Old Guard.

"Karen, you have the helm," Jimmy said.

"Thank you, sir," Karen said. She quickly walked over to the Command Chair, and took a seat.

Jimmy, Captain Diggle, Colonel T'Nalia, and LTC Niona hopped into one of the parasitic vessels. A crew of soldiers was about to start a patrol in the other parasitic vessel. All of Jimmy's entourage wore the Yellow Lantern Military Dress Uniforms, and they looked like royalty. Once they arrived at the Blue Dragon, Captain Diggle hailed the ship.

"Blue Dragon, this is the parasitic vessel, Dracunculus. Permission to dock?" Jessica asked. She had a wrist communicator as well as the communications terminal on the vessel. All of the Lanterns wore a communications apparatus on their wrists. .

"Hold on, Dracunculus?" The Blue Dragon asked. "Dock on the north side."

When General T'Mcginnis entered into the Blue Dragon, he immediately noticed the trash on the floor. In addition, the ship's command structure hadn't assembled to meet him at the entrance of the ship. As soon as he walked through the door, he kicked a plastic bottle across the floor, and didn't hide his frustration. General T'McGinnis tapped his wrist communicator, and then said, "Blue Dragon, your command structure had better get their asses down here. NOW!"

"I didn't expect this," Su'Ra T'Nalia said softly. "This ship is a mess."

When General T'McGinnis walked around the main corner, Captain Jade and Lieutenant T'Nary met up with him.

"Sorry, sir, " Captain Jade said with a stern look on her face.

"Get your ass at attention right now, Captain," the General said. "I put you on this vessel because I thought you could ensure this wouldn't happen." He sent out a telepathic message to Private Naga, and said, "Where's the Major?"

She thought, "Sir, he's sleeping with Sergeant Nalia."

"What do you mean, sir?" Captain Jade asked.

The General looked over at T'Nalia, and she shook her head in disbelief. He looked down the hallway at all the trash, and it all started moving his way in a large pile. He used his telekinetic powers to scoop it up into a huge pile, and then dumped it on Captain Jade's head. She tried to hold her composure, but she started to cry. "Don't you cry, Captain. You better not tear up on me," he screamed. "Where the hell is your Major?" He asked.

She was still standing at attention, and then said, "Under the weather."

The General looked through the entire ship, and saw the Major sleeping nude next to Sergeant Nalia. It was T'Nalia's cousin. He mentally whispered to LTC Niona, and said, "Wake up the Major. He's sleeping with T'Nalia's first cousin. I don't want her to see that."

"Yes, sir," she whispered mentally to him. She took off down the hallway.

The General looked over at Captain Jade in the pile of trash, and said, "You just lied to me."

"No I didn't, sir. He told me he wasn't feeling well," she said.

"Lieutenant T'Nary," the General said loudly.

"Yes, sir," he said.

"Grab all your soldiers, and clean up my ship, he said. "Walk with me, Captain Jade," he ordered. Captain Jade, T'Nalia, and Captain Diggle walked into the bay, and the General asked, "What's wrong with this picture?" The General was looking directly at the parasitic ships in the bay.

"Captain, this is unacceptable," T'Nalia said, "Your parasitic vessels are supposed to be patrolling the area. It's in the standard operating procedure."

"I know, ma'am," she said, "I was overruled."

He whispered telepathically to his Major, and said, "T'Naga. I know you're undercover, but why didn't you report to me that they're not patrolling?"

"I just said they weren't performing basic duties," she thought.

"In the future, I want an itemization of basic duties," he said telepathically. He looked directly at Captain Jade, and said, "Overruled? This isn't debatable," the General said. "I'm going to reprimand your ass. I thought I conveyed the importance of Praxis to the Yellow Lantern Corp," he said, "Did I not make myself clear?"

"Yes, sir," she said.

"I'm done with you now," he said, "You're a big disappointment. Dismissed!"

Captain Jade took off at lightening speed, and the General saw her through the walls of the ship crying.

The General whispered telepathically into LTC Niona's mind, and asked, "Is Sergeant Nalia out of his room?"

"No. He won't open the door," she said.

"Hold on a second," The General said. He used his telekinetic powers, and the door slid open. He tore the locks out of the door, and everything. "There you go," he whispered to her telepathically.

T'Nalia, Jimmy, and Captain Diggle walked onto the bridge, and it wasn't manned at all. Jimmy walked all the way up to the Command Chair, and placed his hands on it. He looked back at his wife, and asked, "Am I demanding too much?"

"Not at all, sir," she said, "This is obviously a solid case of not giving a damn," she said.

"T'Nalia, stay on the bridge. I need to talk to this Major, and it isn't going to be pretty."

"Are you going to hurt him?" She asked.

"No," he said, "Well. Maybe."

Jimmy walked up to the smoking door, and Sergeant Nalia was still nude in the Major's bed, and he was sitting on the edge of it wiping his face. When Jimmy walked into the room, he telekinetically picked up the Sergeant, and tossed her out the room. She hit the wall, and fell to the floor. He then tossed all her clothes out of the room. "Get dressed, Sergeant. You've disappointed me."

"Why did you do that?" The Major asked.

Jimmy grabbed the Major telekinetically, and tossed him against every wall of the room, and didn't pay any attention to the fact he was screaming. Niona stood next to the damaged door, and didn't say anything.

"I want you to resign your commision immediately," Jimmy said. He stood in front of the Doraxian, and couldn't believe how he became an officer. "You're not military material. I have a thirteen-year-older with better leadership skills than you."

"My uncle isn't going to let you fire me," he said.

"You're having relations with an enlisted soldier," Jimmy said, "That's prison time, you idiot."

"Whatever! My Uncle won't let me go to prison," he said.

"Tell me something? Why aren't the parasitic vessels patrolling the area?" Jimmy asked.

"Didn't think it was needed," he snapped.

"You don't have the discretion to make that decision," Jimmy snapped. "It's a command level decision, and every warship patrols with its parasitic ships."

Jimmy realized that Major T'Dank was a recalcitrant soldier, and depended entirely too much on his Uncle. He walked over to Niona, and whispered to her telepathically, and said, "He's afraid of bugs."

"You can ruin him," she whispered telepathically, "It can cause a form of schizophrenia."

Gently, Jimmy pushed the thought of a bug crawling up Major T'Dank's arm into his mind. He quickly tried to brush it off, but then it crawled up his right leg. When he tried to knock that one off, it fell to the floor, and crawled on his left foot. Even though there wasn't a bug, he felt it when it crawled on his foot. He tried to knock it off, but then he saw two bugs on his left leg. He tried his best to knock it off, but nothing was coming of it. Suddenly, Jimmy made him see three bugs crawl into the room through his open door, and he started screaming for them to close the door. Jimmy and Niona stepped outside of his room, and the Major forced closed his broken door, but the bugs continued to seep into the room. Jimmy imagined one of the bugs crawling on his right ear, and that was when things took a turn for the worse.

"Oh, god! Make it stop," he screamed loudly. His screams were so loud that Niona had to cover her ears. It was a high pitch scream, and it sounded like the imaginary bugs were stabbing him to death.

Jimmy opened the door, and looked at the Major in the fetal position on the other side of the room. He was having a mental breakdown, and then Jimmy said, "I can make them go away, but you have to abide by my rules."

Without hesitation, the Major agreed. "Yes, sir." Suddenly, all the bugs disappeared.

"I'll be back on this ship in a few hours. Your bridge better be manned. I better see some parasitic vessels patrolling, and this ship better be cleaned. Do you understand me?"

He mumbled, "Yes, sir."

"Say it louder," Niona said.

"Yes, sir!" He said.

Later in the day…

Captain Diggle flew the Dracunculus down to Praxis, and Kal-El was waiting for him in the townsquare. When Jimmy saw him, he looked healthy, and he had the twins with them. They had built a few more structures in the area, and it looked like a healthy community. Doraxian scientists walked around the area surveying the land. They had medical facilities set up to help the Kryptonians.

"You've done so much for us, Jimmy," Kal-El said, "You and T'Nalia have saved us from death."

"Thank you. You should see James' and Kara's kid. He's almost five-years-old, and active," he said.

"I think she's reluctant to come here," he said.

"I offer to bring them here for a visit, but I think she's afraid she'll have to stay," Jimmy said, "I keep telling her I'll bring her back."

He laughed. "I'm so happy that we're able to procreate. I'm glad you didn't have to experience life under the shields."

"I can only imagine," he said, "I hope you've documented the horrible conditions, so we can archive it. I believe the Kryptonian plight has teachable moments in it."

Kal-El looked down at his kids for a moment. "I don't want to say the Guardians are bad in every universe, but in the two I've been in, they haven't been good people."

"That's why I put the Blue Dragon in orbit around this world," he said, "I need your people to have a contingency plan in case of an attack though."

T'Nalia, Tina, and Niona walked over, and T'Nalia said, "I'm looking at those caves to the east, and I'm wondering if that could be a fall back location?"

"What's the condition of your exoskeleton suits?" Jimmy asked.

"We have about three hundred functional ones," he said.

"T'Nalia, what's the probability of replicating the exoskeleton tech?" Jimmy asked.

"It's possible," she said. "Kal-El, can you spare a suit?"

"You're willing to make us more suits?" Kal-El asked.

"Yeah," Jimmy said, "The Kryptonians are my people, and I feel keeping you safe is paramount."

Later in the day…

Jimmy's crew flew to the cave in the east, and it was a dark, curvy cave, and Jimmy used his ring for light. Tina walked slightly in front of the team and Niona was to the rear. T'Nalia and Jimmy were holding hands. Suddenly, Jimmy said, "Hold up."

"Is something wrong?" T'Nalia asked.

Jimmy looked to the rear and then back to the front. "There's an additional intelligence in this cave. I feel a powerful mind, and intelligent mind."

"Think we should go back?" Niona asked.

"I think so," Jimmy said. When he reached the entrance of the cave, it closed. It trapped Jimmy and T'Nalia on the inside, and the other two were on the other side of the cave.

"Is this cave alive?" T'Nalia asked.

Jimmy whispered in the mind of the cave, and said, "Release us."

"You're trespassing," the cave said.

"Are you evil?" Jimmy asked.

"It depends. Are you?" The cave asked.

Jimmy sat on the floor, and T'Nalia sat beside him. "What's your name?"

"Stony," the cave said, "I've been around for hundreds of years."

"He must have been an unexpected result of terraforming," T'Nalia said.

"You're not hurting my friends are you?" Jimmy asked.

"No," he said, "There were other humanoids on the planet through the years, but they died out."

"What happened?" Jimmy asked.

"Alien's attacked," he said.

"If there's an alien attack, will you let the people down the hill hide in you?" Jimmy asked.

"Yes," he said. "I'd like the company."

"I'm from a far away planet. How far does your telepathy reach?" Jimmy asked.

"Not that far," he said, "But if you return, we can chat."

"Okay," Jimmy said. As soon as he said that, the cave entrance opened, and they walked out of the cave. Niona hugged Jimmy and T'Nalia.

"I was a little nervous," she said.

"The cave is a good guy," Jimmy said, "His name is Stony."

Back on the Blue Dragon…

When General T'McGinnis walked onto the ship with his entourage, he had the Major and Captain Diggle meet him at the door. She was in her Yellow Lantern uniform, and the General immediately said, "This is a lot better." When he walked into the bay, the entire room went to attention, and then Jimmy said, "At ease." In addition, the parasitic vessels weren't in the bay, and he felt good about that.

"Sorry for the misunderstanding earlier," the Major said, "It won't happen again."

"I'm reassigning Sergeant Nalia," the General said, "I won't tolerate fraternization with the lower enlisted."

"It won't happen again," the Major said.

"I know you're not a Yellow Lantern, but I expect the officers from the Old Guard to be just as sharp," the General said.

The General walked up to a female soldier named CheCha Naga, and asked, "Give me the three general orders?"

"I will use the parasitic vessels to guard the Blue Dragon, and destroy any enemy vessel that tries to molest her."

"Okay. Next," the General said.

"I will obey all lawful orders, and perform my duties in accordance to the corp," she said, "Lastly. I will report all violations of any lawful orders, report the unlawful orders, and uphold the laws of my ship, and use my common sense on anything not covered in my military manual.

"At what point should you attach a parasitic vessel onto the hull of an enemy ship?" The General asked.

"As soon as an act of aggression occurs," she said.

Jimmy looked over at his wife, and said, "She's good."

"Indeed," T'Nalia said.

Niona sent a telepathic message to the General, and said, "She better be good. We trained her."

"Have you applied to officer candidate school?" The General asked.

She looked over at T'Nalia for a moment, and sighed. "I don't have an honorable name."

Niona cleared her throat, and stood right beside Jimmy.

'Your name is an honorable name," Jimmy snapped, "You have the most honorable name in all of Doraxia," he said.

She laughed for a moment, and then T'Nalia said, "You find something funny, soldier?"

"No, ma'am," she said.

"If it wasn't for your ancestor, T'Naga, we wouldn't have these advance military weapons," she said, "He saved our world from destruction. Don't you know this?"

"No, ma'am," she said, "It wasn't taught in school."

"So, you probably thinking we're making this up?" Niona asked. "Your ancestry is a hero to the Doraxian people, and the fact we walked onto a dirty ship earlier hurts our hearts. Don't let anybody disrespect your ship with trash. That goes for every last one of you."

"Yes, ma'am," she said.

"I want you to put in an application for the Lantern Corp," Jimmy said, "In addition, I want you to write a research paper on your ancestor, and you will understand why he's an honorable man and a great scientist." Jimmy walked in front of the other soldiers, and said, "I better not ever come onto this ship again, and it's dirty. Do you understand me?" He ask.

"Yes, sir," the soldiers said in unison. "I will be back next month, and inspect the entire ship. Your hovels better be dressed right dressed." He looked around the room for a moment. "Where's Sergeant Nalia?"

"Here, sir," she said. She was in the very back of the room in her mechanic's uniform. She worked on the parasitic vessels. "Pack your stuff. You're being reassigned to the Blue Hellion."

"Why, sir?" She asked.

"Don't act remedial," the General said, "Get your shit, and meet us on the Dracunculus." He turned to Captain Diggle, and said, "When you leave, take her to the Blue Hellion."

"Yes, sir," she said, "It'll be good to have some company."

He whispered telepathically to Naga, and said, "Influence these officers using what I've taught you. Security is paramount, Major T'Naga.."

"Yes, sir," she thought, "Do I really have to write that paper?"

"No," he said telepathically.

Chapter One

Warbird Down

Sparky Jade didn't sleep well after the General and his wife left the Blue Dragon because of the way he treated her. Ashamed, she placed the photo of her and John Diggle flat on her dresser, and then paused for a moment. She cried for a second, and then placed the photo upright. Another photo of her mother sitting on her grandfather's lap was on the wall over her bed, and she tried her best to keep some semblance of normalcy in her life. She had some pictures of her and Tina Diggle on the wall from their time at Glassco University. The photo of Barry Allen was of him in his Flash uniform, and her mother was wearing a pink dress. She was no more than two-years-old in the photo. Her great uncle, Walter West, told her that Barry, her grandfather, might have been stuck in the Speed Force, but he didn't truly know. She hadn't ever met him, but inherited his superspeed. The photo brought her a modicum of solace after the General scolded her, and she promised herself that she'd be a better officer in the Yellow Lantern Corp.

She felt that he handled her differently than the rest of the crew because he knew her before the madness. He didn't know her on a personal level, but she had seen him around Metro City with his father. The Justice Corp always had Junior members watching Jimmy, and it was obvious that none of them knew his true powers; otherwise, they wouldn't have teased him all the time. He even had Justice Corp members trying to kill him while he attended school, and it always ended badly for the assassin. Even though she was about the same age as Jimmy, she remembered hoping he'd die, and that was before the awful incident on the Watchtower. He often looked as if he were happy in Metro City, but that was usually after he'd killed the assassins. She knew when he whistled a happy tune that he'd just finished killing another enemy.

About two years before the Kryptonian invasion, Doctor Hawkins made her drop kryptonite pellets in Jimmy's backpack in the hopes it would weakened him. It was an incident that replayed through her mind the entire time she was at Glassco University. Once she dropped the pellets an assassin attempted to shoot a kryptonite laced bullet in Jimmy's skull from five miles away, and it bounced off of him as if it hit a solid steel wall. Sparky Jade was about half a yard away when the bullet hit him, and it bounced off Jimmy's skull, and struck another student, killing her instantly. He stood in the middle of the field when all the instructors ran to the girl's rescue, but she was dead. The bullet tore half her head off, and Jimmy stared with his cold eyes. Sparky took off traveling faster than the speed of sound, and when she approached the assassin, his head exploded. His head exploded exactly when she showed up on the scene, and she always thought he did that as a warning to her.

When it came to the incident with the trash, she thought the General put the onus of the trash on her, and what upset her was when he dumped all the trash on her head. It embarrassed her in front of the Command Staff of the Yellow Lantern Corp, but most of all, it made her look like a failure. She realized the General probably had a lot of resentment for her, and the fact she was part of the Justice Corp, an honor the corp never bestowed on him. She knew Superman shot Jimmy's uniform off his body, but at the same time, she thought he had no business on the Watchtower. The Justice Corp Command Staff didn't hide their disdain for him, and every time they had an opportunity to take a shot at Jimmy, they did. If Superman were stronger, he probably would have killed Jimmy, but that was only speculation.

The only good thing about the General's visit was it changed Major T'Dank for the better. He actually reported to the bridge on time, but she didn't know if he actually stopped fraternizing with the lower enlisted. He was insatiable when it came to the Doraxian females, especially the frumpier ones like Sergeant Nalia. She wasn't obese by any means of the word, but curvaceous. If Nalia were any curvier, she'd look like a complete circle. All the Nalia females were wildly curvey, including the General's wife, but she kept it hidden under her ascetic attire. She had learned in her studies that the Nalia clan started the break from the Grays. They were the ones who first dropped religion for science, and started the Gnostics of Scientific Theory. The ascetics greeted each other with, "May all your theories hold up to scrutiny, and if they fail, then may the results lead to a better understanding."

Captain Jade knew the Major's taste because he never talked to the slender, built-like-a-boy girls, or even looked their way. She saw him making eyes at Naga, and from the way she was shaped, she should have known he would. She immediately asked her if something was going on between them. It was obvious that he had made several advances toward Naga because of the way he flirted with her. She was a very shapely Doraxian woman like the General's wife, but when it came to T'Nalia, she was slim-fit and curvaceous. There was a full chapter on the Blue Ghost in the Lantern Curriculum, and it was the most interesting course in the school. It covered in detail how the General met his wife, and they had a tumultuous beginning. On the other hand, watching T'Dank flirt with Naga was an uncomfortable sight, but since he was the Commander, she gracefully looked the other way.

"Are you having relations with the Major?" Captain Jade asked with a scowl on her face. She waited for the young woman to answer, and she didn't expect the truth without some cajoling. They stood in the bay with several, two men fighter crafts specially made for the Yellow Lanterns. There were some lower enlisted soldiers sweeping the bay, and performing maintenance checks on the ships. Naga was a sapphire colored, plain looking woman with a curvaceous body. Make-up wasn't authorized in the maintenance, beige uniforms of the Old Guard, and when Captain Jade saw a soldier breaking the rules, it was in her right to correct them. Naga's ears narrowed to perfect points, and she wore her hair in the ascetic, bowl cut. It was a bowl cut in the front while long in the back, and it resembled Colonel T'Nalia's and the Lieutenant Colonel's hair. Since they were married to the General, it was understandable. Her eyes were spaced perfectly on her face, and she had strong cheekbones.

The General reiterated about fraternization in the Old Guard every time he spoke in front of the school. If a Yellow Lantern Cadre crossed the line with a recruit, it was an immediate jail sentence, and he had a multitude of anecdotal evidence just to instill fear in the hearts of cadre and recruits alike. If he detected a recruit not listening to his no-fraternization rants, he'd just thrust the information into the soldier's head, and put it on a loop.

"No, ma'am," she said with a troublesome smirk on her face. Captain Jade wanted to knock her across the room, because even though she wasn't an empath, she knew a lie when she heard it.

"I'm serious about this," she said with a stern look. "If the General finds out about this, he'll tear up your application to the Lantern Corp. He's a man who believes in consequences."

"I'm not doing anything," she stressed. She had one arm on her hip and the other one to her side. "I promise."

Captain Jade sighed. "Stand at ease when speaking to a superior officer, Naga."

She went to the position of Parade Rest.

"You know he can read minds," she said, "He's a powerful telepath, and he'll scan your brain if you lie to him."

"Can I be honest for a moment then?" Naga asked.

"Of course," she said. "Just tell me the truth."

"The Major and I had relations until the General came," she said. She folded her arms tightly in front of her body, and then said, "The General made him impotent when he probed him. I tried everything under the Doraxian suns to make him hard, and nothing. It was like a noodle."

"I believe it," she said, "Don't ever get on his bad side. It's a good way to die."

"What do you mean?" She asked.

"He killed hundreds of people by just being in the same room with them," she said, "He's a dangerous person. Deadly."

"I thought that was all rumor," Naga said, "Myth."

"Nope. If Major T'Dank angered him, then he probably retaliated in the cruelest way imaginable. He read the Major and found out what he cherished, and then snatched it from under him. Don't have further relations with the Major, Naga. Think about your career."

"Yes, ma'am," she said.

Captain Jade sat up on her bed, and thought about General T'Mcginnis for a moment. When he pinned on her Lieutenant rank, she asked him about teaching Earth scientist about warp theory, and building fleets of ships to repatriate the enslaved back to Earth. Repatriating Earth had been on her mind a lot lately because she knew people on other worlds. In addition, she wanted to save as many slaves as possible because thousands of them were food.

"It's not going to happen, Lieutenant Jade," he said. There was no expression on his face when he said it, and at first, she thought the order came from the Council of Science.

"Please, sir,?," She said, "Talk to the council about this."

He paused for a moment, and turned to her, and then said, "I made the final decision not to give Earth the knowledge."

She froze in the middle of the room, and couldn't believe what he said. "Why, sir? Don't you want to repatriate our people?"

Jimmy looked her directly in her brown eyes, and said, "Earth is full of hate, full of prejudice, full of bigotry, and full of racism. I can't allow that to escape the confines of the planet, and infect beings throughout the universe. I'm not the monster, but I came from a planet full of them. Right now I stand in front of you while what used to be the United States is in a Civil War. Thousands have died in Gotham since I left the planet. Do you know why they're fighting?"

"No, sir," she said, "I've been in the Officer Lantern Course for nearly six years."

"White people claimed they needed to purge the shit skins," he said, "They slaughtered men and women praying over the ones who died during the occupation. So, I've cut Earth completely off from the rest of the Universe, and I will ensure their sickness is confined to that planet. The few earthlings that I took off the planet were the ones I loved. Terry and John wouldn't come, but Vivian vouched for you. That's why you're here, even though I know you hate me. I wouldn't have selected you without Vivian begging me. Now, I need you on the Blue Dragon patrolling Praxis. I'll promote you to Captain in six months of taking your post. You'll be serving under Commander T'Dank."

"Yes, sir," she said. She paused for a moment. "Aren't scientists working on terraforming some planets in our solar system?"

"Yes," he said, "I'm looking at three states in the United States of Africa to migrate off world. All the people I move to the newly terraform planets will be men and women of science. If any of them are religious, they won't be allowed to come."

"Aren't you discriminating, sir?" She asked.

"No," he said, "The entire Civil War is based on different interpretations of their Bible. I can't have that on the new worlds. So, now that you know I'm not repatriating the enslaved back to Earth, you never have to ask about this in the future."

She cried a little, and she stood in front of him until he dismissed her. She had faith that he would follow through with his plan to repatriate the enslaved back to Earth, and he even discussed it several times when he arrived. But at the same time, she remembered what the people said after the Kryptonians left. The people wanted to leave with the Kryptonians because they thought Jimmy, a black man, was going to be the one in charge. Even after he told them that he wasn't on Earth to rule, many of the people spat on his accomplishments, and defaced his image. In a way, she enjoyed what the people did to him until she talked to him on the way to Praxis.

Jimmy's wife, Lieutenant Colonel Niona, piloted the Dracunculus, and the General was in the Command Chair. "You know you've blamed me for the Watchtower for twelve Earth years?" Jimmy said. It was a nonstandard question, and Lieutenant Jade didn't quite understand what he was saying. "Have you realized that Superman was a clone with an agenda aberrant to the core beliefs of the Justice Corp?"

"What are you saying, sir?" She asked.

"I'm saying you blamed me when clone Superman tried to kill me," he said, "He caused all the problems, and you're still blaming me. Why is that?"

"Why did you come to the Watchtower that day?" She asked.

"To talk," he said, "I was standing in the bay, and he pulled out a laser rifle. I placed my hands in the air, so he wouldn't tear open my suit. I didn't do it to protect myself. He knew shooting me with a weapon would tear open my suit," he said. "He knew who I was. You knew about me too because they briefed all of the Junior Members about me."

"That's true," she said, "You were already finishing school by the time I was in the seventh grade, but the Justice Corp kept a constant eye on you and Terry."

"Well, the real Superman is somewhere," Jimmy said. "I tried to find Mia Kent, but I can't detect her presence either."

When Captain Jade walked into the cafeteria, she sat by herself, and ate some fried pip eggs, and some golden brown, Madi bacon. She had developed a love for the Madi bacon, and she wanted it every morning for breakfast. She also enjoyed Pytlik milk. The Pytlik was a fat, pig like animal that was used mainly for milk products on Doraxia. T'Nalia's father owned six-two Pytlik farms that supplied milk to the military, and all the ships were stocked with the stuff.

She finished up her breakfast quickly, and when she went to place her tray on the conveyor belt, she saw a Doraxian soldier throw a napkin on the floor. It landed right in front of the trashcan, and he walked past it like he didn't notice it. Immediately, she thought back to the General dumping a pile of trash on her head, and became unhinged on the soldier.

"Soldier, what's your name?" Captain Jade said in a loud voice.

He turned around, and asked, "Me?"

"Yeah. You, soldier," she said.

"Private Nata," he said.

"Bend down and pick up that napkin, Private Nata," she said. He gave her a long stare, and then a yellow hand came out of her ring, and slapped him to the ground. "I told you to pick up that napkin."

He grabbed the napkin, and slowly rose to his feet. She pointed to the trashcan, and said, "Hurry the hell up."

He tossed the napkin in the trash can, but he was insubordinate, so she wrote him up. She had a problem with most of the Doraxian Old Guard soldiers because they didn't have the same training as the Yellow Lantern Corp soldiers. The Old Guard wasn't prepared for the rigors of war, and that was why the General wanted Major T'Dank to resign. The majority of the crew didn't do their before, during, and after check inspections, and some of the equipment was faulty because of it. The ship had eight material replicators, and three of them didn't work, and when she checked the work order on the devices, she couldn't find anything.

She walked on the bridge, and Major T'Dank sat in the Command Chair, and she relieved an Old Guard Lieutenant on communications. She was the Operation's officer, but she sometimes worked different post for the experience. In the back of the bridge was Lieutenant T'Nead, a tall, transgender Doraxian wearing a splash of a peach flavored perfume. She was the science officer and Major T'Dank's assistant. The only reason she knew Lieutenant T'Nead was transgendered was because she accidentally caught her and Lieutenant Dani engaged in coitus in a small room attached to the Officer's Lounge. It wasn't easy to tell that she was once a male because she had a soft, eloquent voice, smooth blue face, and shapely. There wasn't a hint of masculinity in her nature. But when she saw her business dangling while Lieutenant rammed her from behind, she couldn't turn away from it. She had to admit to herself that transgendered sex aroused her, and she didn't know that about herself until that very night.

Captain T'Baze was on weapons, and he wore a specialized Brain Helmet that allowed him to control all the ship's weapon systems. He wasn't a very talkative co-worker, and he was all about firepower. He was the only Blue that she ever met who constantly discussed killing the enemy. It was a rarity that any of them resorted to violence, but they all seemed to fall in line when General T'McGinnis went on one of his rampages. All the Commanders said that he flipped out on them except for Vivian. She was the only ship that met his strict standard, and she knew exactly why. The General slapped a saddle on Vivian's back from day one of the Officer Lantern School, and rode her across the finish line. When she graduated, she said, "Nothing hurts more than the General's love."

"Did you hear that General T'McGinnis is now a four star?" Major T'Dank asked. "He's the youngest General in history. He has his T. He's a Yellow Lantern. He's the General."

"I knew it was going to happen," she said, "Just didn't know when. He revitalized Doraxia's military, and now with all the empires throughout the universe joining the Federation of Yellow Lanterns, he's brought in trillions of dollars in gold to Doraxia."

"I told my Uncle what he did to me," Major T'Dank said with a sigh. The Major was highly upset. "He told me I got what I deserved. I'm impotent now. What did I do to deserve that?"

"Sergeant Nalia" she said laughingly.

"Ha ha. Yeah. I may laugh after the punishment," he said.

"He's serious about that fraternization with lower enlisted," she said, "It's a pet peeve of his, and he'll throw you in prison over it."

"I talked to an old buddy, and he said never fraternize and never touch, look, or say anything negative to or about his wives," he said.

"Wise words," Captain Jade said, "Don't even think about saying disparaging remarks about the Command Staff. I'm serious. Think about this? He told twenty-five hundred Kryptonians they had to leave Earth."

"Yeah," he said, "What about it?"

"Under a yellow sun, they're some of the strongest people in the Universe," she said. "Twenty-five hundred of them obeyed him. One of them has enough power to destroy an entire world. So, whenever I'm about to say something negative to him or his Command Staff, I think long and hard about it because twenty-five hundred Kryptonians chose to do what he said without arguing."

"I just visualized that," Major T'Dank said, "That puts everything in perspective."

"He chose to teach you a lesson, but I must admit that it's a cruel one," she said, "You must have angered him badly."

"Yeah. I used the Uncle-card, and I paid for it," he said. "Oh. I sent Private Nata his extra duty schedule. He's on KP. We can't lose control of our soldiers."

"Thank you, sir," she said. "This ship is our home until we're killed, reassigned, fired, or resign. We should keep it clean."

Later on in the morning…

Captain Jade contacted the Demodectic parasitic vessel for an update. "Demodectic, this is Main. How is it out there?" She asked. "Over."

"Main, this is Demodectic," Private Naga said, "It's all good. Over."

"I think I'm going to patrol with you one of these days," she said.

"It'll be nice to have some girl company," Private Naga said, "These boys are the worse."

"Okay. Y'all take care of yourselves, Demodectic. Main out."

She paused for a second, and then said, "Sarcoptic, this is Main. How is it going? Over."

"It's quiet on our end, Main," Sergeant L'nel said, "That red star is beautiful."

"Yes it is, Sarcoptic," Captain Jade said, "Y'all have a good shift. Main out."

Later in the day…

Captain Jade ate lunch with another Yellow Lantern named Nani Iobi. He had emerald skin and orange hair, but it was cut in a military style haircut. His eyebrows were the same color as the hair on his head, and his eyes were almond shape. He had strong, high cheek bones with plump lips. He was a strong looking Lantern with a wide chest. When she heard his last name, she asked, "Is the General's wife any kin to you?"

"Yeah," he said, "That's my older sister."

"Small world," she said in her pleasant, somewhat flirtatious voice. "She should have had her own ship."

"She doesn't want it," he said, "Everywhere the General goes, you'll see one of two women by his side."

"Tell me something? Why didn't I see that?" She asked. "You're exactly right though."

"I didn't notice it at first either," he said, "But during school, I asked my sister about their relationship."

"What did she say?" She asked.

"Nothing," he said, "We're a race of empaths." He paused. "I realized that my dreams I had as a child about the General weren't dreams."

"Dreams?" She asked.

"Let me put it this way," he said, "He loves both of his wives without question."

"Is he kind of cheating?," she asked. Her eyes grew big.

"No. Not at all," he said, "It's a cultural thing. He loves them equally, and with every essence of his being." He laughed. "We'll never find that kind of love they have if we live forever."

"You don't think so?" She asked.

"My sister stole a ship, joined the Sapphires, and searched for him," he said, "She felt his powers from sixty something light years away. Guess how old she was when she took off?"

"Twenty," she said.

He laughed. "Ten."

"Get out of here," she said.

"I'm serious. She found him three years later," he said. "He told her that he'd return for her, and that she needed to train herself with the Sapphire ring. He found her again after he married T'Nalia, turned her Sapphire ring yellow, and now she's been by his side ever since. They all showed up at my house at the same time, and he recruited me into the Corp."

"You know what? I've never heard him talk to Niona," she said.

"They talk telepathically," he said. "I'm serious. They talk nonstop to each other., but it's all on a mental level"

Captain Jade stood up from the table, and said, "Check your palm computer for the patrol schedule," she said, "The General wants one Lantern patrolling with a parasitic ship. We're on twelve hour rotations."

"Yes, ma'am," he said.

"It's a good schedule," she said, "You'll work twelve hours, then you'll be off thirty-six."

That evening…

Naga sat at the ship's bar in the Common Area Lounge or the CAL, and Captain Jade walked over to her, and ordered a drink. Alcohol was a major export on Doraxia, and they specialized in some of the best drinks in the galaxy. She ordered a Booshi; it was a wine made out of the booshi fruit that resembled an apple. It was sweet, but a loaded drink, and one of them was enough to put her slightly over the intoxicated mark.

She knew Naga was extremely drunk because she was nearly passed out with her head on the counter. For the first time, she saw her with a little makeup, and she had on a loosely fitting spring dress. It was surprisingly provocative the way the material attached to every curve of her body.

After only a few drinks of her Booshi, she had already felt a little tipsy. She rubbed Naga's back, and said, "Girl, you okay?"

"Yeah." Slowly, she raised her head off the counter, and faced the Captain. Her breast were full, and her nipples were pronounced. "The General had gotten my head all big when he praised my ancestor."

"Yeah," she said, "T'Naga and T'Nalia help designed all this. We studied them in Lantern School."

She sighed. "My family's name is shit on Doraxia," she said.

"Not anymore," Captain Jade said, "Did you know his first order was restoring your family's name?"

"No. I've been so busy," she said. "They never taught war stuff in school."

"I think they will eventually," Captain Jade said, "I think your ancestor was one of the greatest men in the Universe. He was the lead designer of Demon Class Ships."

"See. I didn't know any of this," she said.

"He lived nine hundred years ago, and he wrote a boatload of journals," Captain Jade said, "It was those journals that ruined him."

"I did here about that," she said.

"In those journals, he talked about General T'McGinnis, Colonel T'Nalia, and Lieutenant Niona Iobi by name. He wrote about their lives in shocking detail. General T'McGinnis told the Council of Science to restore his name because he wasn't a mad man."

"Did you read any of them?" She asked.

"Only the declassified ones," she said, "It's scary stuff because I knew the General before all this, and your ancestor got all the details right. He wrote those journals twenty-seven-hundred Earth years ago."

"I hope one day I can see the honor in my name," she said.

Private Naga slowly stood up, and stumbled across the room, and when Captain Jade saw that, she thought she needed help to her room. She walked up behind her, and put her arms around her. It was a slow night of the week, and many of the soldiers had already called it quits for the day. When Captain Jade and Private Naga arrived to her room, she helped her on the bed, and then stumbled on top of her. It was a bare room, a room with no flare. She didn't have a flower pot or anything in it. There wasn't anything that suggested a family life. Her left knee landed right between Private Naga's sapphire legs, and she felt the warmth oozing from between them. She looked at the Private in her green eyes, and everything told her to leave immediately, but she couldn't. She found her tantalizing. When she was a Junior Justice Corp Member, she had a petting session with another young girl, but she didn't consider herself a lesbian. The next day she stayed home, and Jimmy killed everybody aboard the Watchtower, including the young girl she liked. She was only thirteen almost fourteen at the time, and then by the next day, the entire world was fighting for its life against the Kryptonians. She found herself gently pressing her lips against Naga's lips, tasting her tongue, and feeling her wetness rub up against hers. She barely knew what she was doing; it was all instinctive, and she could feel the surprise rising in her. She pulled off her Lantern Corp uniform, and she stood in the middle of the room naked from the waist down. Her nappy bush was wild. It was obvious that the circumstances of her life changed her priorities when it came to grooming. She slid off Naga's red panties, and her bush looked like a roaring lion. She didn't shave her womanly parts either, but it was the way of things with the lower classed Doraxians. Captain Jade climbed aboard Naga's curvaceous body, and connected intimately in a scissors position. The officer was so aroused by the moment that she unleashed all over the Private, and immediately felt dismayed by the moment. Her ejaculation was premature, and she became embarrassed by her actions because her climax pulled her completely out of the mood. Whatever she saw in Naga at the bar had completely dissipated in a matter of seconds, and she didn't know what to do. The Private was still gyrating underneath her, but the Captain had lost the momentum. There wasn't anything left in her at all. She just wanted to run, hide, and pray that the General didn't find out about her indiscretion with the Private. Slowly, she stood up, and sat on the edge of the bed, and she could feel Naga looking at her.

"You feel ashamed?" Private Naga asked. She rubbed her back, and said, "We can just lay here. We don't have to make a sound." Gently, she pulled Captain Jade on the bed, and she lay in the Private's arms. The room had a chill to it, even though it was exceptionally warm. Naga decorated her room without any emotional attachments at all.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. "I wanted you so badly that I lost control."

"It happens," she said, "It's happened to me."

Captain Jade fell asleep for approximately six hours, and when she awoke, she was spooning the Private. She admired her beautiful, sapphire body for a moment, and then quickly got dressed. She kissed her on the cheek, and then left out of her room. She headed directly for the bridge, and checked on the morning crew, and they looked like they had a long night. Tired, she headed back to her hovel, and tried to get a few more hours of sleep. It was hard for her because she had violated the General's number one rule, and she didn't have any protection like Major T'Dank. She didn't have a high ranking government official who could save her from jail.

Suddenly, her palm computer ascended to the ceiling, and then an image of the General came out of it. She immediately hopped to her feet at the position of attention, and said, "Sir. Yes, sir."

"Captain Jade, I need you to take a palm computer to the cave to the east of the Kryptonian camp."

"To a cave, sir?" She asked.

"Yes. The cave is an intelligent life form," he said, "His name is Stony. I played some classical music for him, and he fell in love with it."

Suddenly, the image disappeared, and then she thought, "I thought for sure he knew."

The Yellow Lanterns had parasitic vessels about half the size of the parasitic shuttles. They were Jimmy's design that had more maneuvering power, and one of them could easily disable a Battlecruiser. Each Yellow Lantern Officer had a parasitic cruiser, and Captain Jade's cruiser was called The Leech. It had the ability to attach onto a powerful ship or a ship's shields, and completely drain them until the host vessel lost power. Once that happened the parasitic vessel fired a well-placed laser blast into the center of the ship, breaking it in half. The General explained during Lantern School that the parasitic vessels were meant to enhance the Lantern's abilities to battle powerful enemies, but when it came down to the Yellow Lantern Ring, a Lantern was nothing without it. She took her parasitic cruiser down to the planet, and parked it next to the cave. Going inside the cave wasn't an option she had considered. She grabbed the extra palm computer, and it flew into the cave under its own volition. She looked over at the Kryptonians going about their day, and then walked back over to her ship. There were plenty of trees all around the camp area, and some vicious animals lived in the forest according to her palm computer.

Suddenly, she heard some music playing from inside the cave, and she wanted to go see what was in the cave. "Thank you, Captain Jade," a voice in her head said.

"You're welcome, Stony," she said.

On the inside of her parasitic vessel was a set of powerful, black binoculars with the Lantern symbol on them. She pressed them to her face, and looked at a black mark on the far ridge. It appeared to be a laser strike, but she couldn't tell from her position. She pulled out her palm computer, programmed it, and it took off for the ridge. It analyzed the area for about five minutes, and came back with a detail report.

Palm computer report:

The footprints on the ridge were approximately two hundred years old. There were two sets of alien skeletons on the ridge that were hit by lasers. The skeletons were from a humanoid species called the Distortions, a race of metamorphic creatures.

end of report

"Computer, where's the Distortions' homeworld?" She asked.

"Approximately two light years away," the computer said. "They're a treacherous race, and should be avoided at all cost."

Back on the ship…

Captain Jade stepped onto the bridge, took her post, and watched the overhead screen. The planet was a beautiful bluish green, and she thought the Doraxians did a wonderful job on the planet. Stony, the conscience in the cave, piqued her interest, and she wanted to pay him a visit. She smiled for a moment because she didn't know if Stony was a male. She was so caught up in male and female, but one of the first things the General told her was, "The line between male and female or he and she blurred in space." He plainly stated, "A penis doesn't signify a male."

She sat in her chair, and thought about Private Naga for a moment, and wondered in her mind if it was just a one night thing. The entire night happened so fast that she didn't enjoy it on a visceral level. It upset her because she wanted to enjoy it so she wouldn't repeat it. There was something about Private Naga's smell that she found appetizing, and even though she was only a private, she had a way of invading her space that she found admirable. The whole event was a crazy thing to happen because she didn't realize she was attracted to girls like that. She found many women that she admired through the years, but she never pictured herself tribbling with them. It was all new.

After the alien invasion, all the boys she desired who had abilities were pretty much dead. But when she attended the Lantern School for six long years, the General's workload for them didn't give them much free time. The school started out with fifteen thousand beings of all types of races, and three thousand were left in the end. The simple fact that all of the General's recruits made it through the school was a prime example of favoritism, and she realized that in the beginning. There were times when she knew she didn't know the answers on test, but then she'd hear his voice. Vivian didn't agree with that assessment; she said that the General tested her according to her abilities, and every test was a struggle between life and death. Most of the enhanced students suffered a fate that the other students didn't because the General wanted the school to be based on the individual student. After the school ended, she had been deprived of intimacy for so long that she thought she was asexual.

Major T'Dank walked on the bridge, and Captain Jade screamed, "Bridge, attention." Everybody assumed the position of attention until he told them to resume work.

He took his Command Chair, and then said, "Did you enjoy your little trip?"

"Yes, sir," she said, "Did exactly what the General asked, and then left."

"So, I hope you were able to resist Private Naga last night," he said.

She looked up at him from her console, and then stated, "Nothing happened. She's just a private."

"Whatever," he said, "She's a seductress."

"Yeah she is," Captain T'Nead said. "I had a few drinks with her. Woke up the next morning naked in her bed."

"Damn," Captain Jade said. "Are all Doraxian women like that?"

"No," Major T'Dank said. "It happened within the last three months. I didn't even notice her when we first parked here. She went out in one the parasitic ships, got lost, and then when she returned, she became the recreational chick."

"I might report myself to the General," she said.

"For what?" Captain T'Nead asked.

"He probably already knows," she said, "He's a powerful telepath and empath."

"Tell me something?" Captain T'Nead asked.

"What's that?" Captain Jade said.

"Did he train a mentally challenged girl how to be a Lantern from over forty light years away?"

"Yeah. You're talking about Captain Diggle," she said, "She's the pilot on the Blue Demon. When he came to Earth, the first thing he did was make her whole."

"So, it's all true?" She asked.

"Very true," she said, "That's why I want to just tell him truth."

"I think the Council of Science is scared of him," Major T'Dank said.

"I think they know he's pledged his allegiance to Doraxia," Captain Jade said, "Just think about the money and wealth he brought the world. Think about his wife for a moment? She's the Blue Ghost."

Major T'Dank laughed. "He's more Doraxian than me."

"Do you recall him saying, 'What's a T good for if it isn't used to better Doraxia?'" She asked.

"I heard him give a speech on that," T'Nead said. "It was a motivating speech."

"Do you know where he got that saying?" Captain Jade said.

"Where?" Major T'Dank asked.

"From your ancestor, dummy," she said, "If he tested you on that question and YOU missed it, he'd be on fire right now."

"Damn!" He said. "I actually knew that, but I completely forgot."

"That's why the Council of Science gives him what he needs," she said, "He respects Doraxia."

"Sounds like you like the guy," Major T'Dank said.

"It's complicated," she said, "Very complicated."

He laughed. "I'm on hate mode right now, but once he's done punishing me, I think I can learn to appreciate the man."

"Just don't say anything negative about the General around Jessica, Vivian, or any of the Command Staff," Captain Jade said, "They've gone through wars together."

"Do you think he'll mentally probe you for no reason?" Captain T'Nead asked.

"Nope. He can hear a change in your heart rhythm, and know you're lying to him," she said, "Then he'll ask you why you're telling lies." She laughed. "You know T'Nalia was the Green Lantern of Doraxia, right?"

"Of course," she said.

"Do you know she tried to hide Jimmy's Yellow Power Ring when it came to him?" Captain Jade asked.

"I didn't know that," Captain T'Nead said.

"She tried to lie to him, and he told her that she was a liar too," she laughed, "She tried to walk away, and he said, 'Looks like you got your T in walking away.'"

"No he didn't!" Major T'Dank said.

"Yep. He pissed her off so badly that she shot him with her power ring." She laughed for a moment. "Now get this. After that, he looked right at her, and said, 'Looks like the Lantern Corp made a big mistake by giving your ass a power ring.'"

"I'm surprised she didn't break it off," Captain T'Nead said.

"She did. She told him that it would be best if they went their separate ways," she said, "Jimmy cried so hard and loudly, and then T'Nalia cried too. In those days, Jimmy couldn't control his powers, and it would have killed her if she tried to comfort him. She pleaded with him to stop crying, but he wouldn't. The next morning he told her that she was his wife on another timeline, but she had died."

"Wow," Major T'Dank said.

"He was fourteen and Niona was about thirteen at the time. She confirmed his story because she remembered the alternate timeline too," she said, "The guy who designed all these ships wrote all his journals about Jimmy, T'Nalia, and Niona."

"So, did he really kill a Parallax?" Captain T'Nead asked.

Captain Jade smiled. "T'Nalia and Jimmy were in the middle of their spats, when the monster approached. She went out of the ship by herself, and tried to fight the thing. She ended up getting caught in the animal's gravitational pull, but the ship had already retreated thousands of miles away, and couldn't help her. She screamed out for Jimmy, and when he showed up, he was like, 'What?' They started arguing back and forth, and the Parallax was like, 'Excuse me.' Jimmy told him to wait until he finished arguing with his lying girl friend. He eventually asked the Parallax to let his lying girlfriend and the ship pass, but he told him no. Jimmy then told him that he would sacrifice himself for the ship, and the Parallax agreed. Jimmy allowed the Parallax to swallow him while he was screaming, 'Weeeeeeeeeeeee' the whole time. When T'Nalia saw Jimmy go into the Parallax's mouth, she freaked out. She fired a hole right through the beast, and then she realized that it was already dead. When she flew to the beast, Jimmy was lying on his tongue looking up at the roof of its mouth. "

"I don't know if I believe that," Major T'Dank said. "We're talking about a Parallax."

"Ask T'Rolo," she said, "He was the Captain on that vessel. He has video." She paused for a moment. "You guys need to go through the Lantern School."

Major T'Dank laughed. "I have no chance," he said, "None."

"What's crazy is the Sapphire Corp tried to attack Jimmy," she said, "He refused to engage them."

"Why?" Major T'Dank asked.

"He said one day they would make up the New Guardians," she said. "Niona was only thirteen, and when the Sapphire Commander tried to attack Jimmy, Niona stood with him, and bowed to T'Nalia. She told her that she was the wife of the Great Unifier."

"I love the stories about Jimmy," T'Dank said, and then in unison, T'Dank and Captain Jade said, "But not the General." Major T'Dank laughed.

Captain T'Baze walked onto the bridge, and Captain Jade handed him the comm headset. "I'm going to do my rounds."

"Okay," he said.

"Sir, permission to leave the bridge?" Captain Jade asked.

"Permission granted," Major T'Dank said.

Captain Jade walked down the hallway towards the lunchroom when she received a call from one of her Lanterns.

"Captain Jade. This is Lieutenant Iobi. Over," he said.

"Go," she said.

"I just came across a shadow," he said, "It looked like a large vessel about half a light year away, and then it disappeared off radar. Over."

"It might be a glitch with the system," she said, "See if you can replicate it. Out."

The lunch room was almost empty, although Private Naga sat in the far corner by herself. She grabbed a Vinish Steak smothered in mushrooms with some cabbage, and two pip eggs on the side. She had an affinity for the pip eggs after she tried one of Vivian's during the first day of Lantern School. She sat with Private Naga, and she seemed reticent at first.

"Thank you for last night," Captain Jade whispered. "I needed the release."

The young private didn't say anything at first. She tapped her right foot on the ground, and then said, "I don't like being ignored all day. I know you're an officer, but you could have given me a light wave, or even a look of interest."

"I was busy with officer stuff," she said, "You're kind of needy for having so many suitors."

"I see," she said, "You've talked to the guys who dumped their loads, left, and didn't call this girl," she said, "You don't think I appreciated the idle chitchat and being held through the night?" She slammed her hands on the table. "It doesn't matter. I'm just the Blue whore." She hopped up from the table, and before Captain Jade had a chance to speak, she was all the way around the corner.

She was suddenly in front of the Private, and the girl jumped. "I"m the fastest human in the Universe," she said. For a moment, she paused. "Why do we have to do this?" Captain Jade asked. She folded her arms for a moment. "Why can't we toss sheets discretely and quietly?"

"Just don't treat me like I'm beneath you?" She asked. "I deal with this all the time."

"I've never done that," Captain Jade said.

"Just drop by tonight," she said. Gently, she grabbed her right hand. "Discretely."

Captain Jade walked quietly back to the cafeteria, and she didn't know what to make of Private Naga's madness. She immediately recognized her manipulation, but she wanted to experience her one more time, and she didn't know why. For a moment, she thought she should retreat to her hovel, take some sleeping pills, and wake up the next day in her right mind. But at the same time, she had her duties, and if the General had demands, she had to carry out those demands without question. The last time she tribbled with Private Naga it was a one-sided explosion, but on the next adventure, she wanted mutually agreeable climaxes, something that manifested into a positive memory.

Her Yellow Lantern ring beeped three times, and that meant a secure, important message from the General was about to project out of her ring. She stepped into a closet in the lunchroom, and then a three-d image of the General appeared in front of her. He wore the classical, military dress uniform, and he was built like a chocolate superman. "Please note that this is a secure message. If you're not in a secure location, please find a secure location or stop the transmission." There was a two minute pause, and then the General stated, "The Demon is headed for Brion-Noir, a planet on the brink of death. I estimate the Demon will be out-of-network for six-months to a year. It will take the Demon approximately twelve days with the current Transwarp technology to reach Brion-Noir. We have to Terraform the planet Vista Noir, and that will take approximately three months to do. Once we stabilize the newly terraformed planet, we have to transport a sizable amount of Brion-Noir's people to the new planet. This is a safety measure in case Brion Noir reacts badly to the process we use to start the planet's core. If you have any administrative problems, try to handle them at the lowest level in your chain of command. If you can't handle them at the company level, then bring it to Major Hall. Please remember no fraternization with the enlisted. Please remember all procedures, and never relax your guard. We have enemies, and each one of you should be prepared at all times. Lastly, all Transwarp technology is Top Secret. Under no circumstances is the Transwarp technology to be discussed with anybody outside the Yellow Lantern Corp. General T'McGinnis out."

When Captain Jade arrived on the bridge, Major T'Dank was elated over something. He had a huge smile on his face, and she didn't know what was happening. "Why are you cheesing, sir?"

"The General called me up, and said, 'If you want to make it to retirement, you better not touch my enlisted.' I'm hard as a rock right now."

"But did you get the message?" She asked.

"Hell yeah. I'm not stupid," he said. "Damn. All the Doraxian, female officers are sickly skinny to me. Built like boys. Shoot."

"Those ugly beige uniforms are deceptive," she said, "Probably a lot more flesh when they're bare. Besides, a few drinks will liven things up a bit."

"I'm weak for a curvy Blue girl," Major T'Dank said gleefully.

"There's other races of women on the ship," she said.

"Awwwww. You're cute, Captain Jade," he said, "But you're skinny as hell, and you're on the quadruple serving meal plan."

"Ha. I wasn't thinking of me, silly. Besides, you know I'm a speedster?," She said. "It takes ten thousand calories a day for me just to exist."

"I love food," he said, "But damn. I don't think I could eat like that if I tried."

Captain Jade looked thoroughly through her visor, and scoped the surrounding area. She scanned a distance that equated to approximately four light years, and when she calculated the number of planets in that distance, she estimated over seventy-two billion. She couldn't fathom a glitch in the Flea, but it was possible. The Lantern Parasitic Vessels were the first of their kind, and they were equipped with Transwarp technology built into them. The General designed them from inside and out, and built the prototype; therefore, she felt questioning the tech would be disrespectful.

"Major, the sky is clear," she said. "What's the possibility that the Lantern parasitic vessels have a glitch in them?"

"A shadow on the screen can be a million things," he said, "But I viewed the General's specs on ship detection, and his calculations were meticulous. It was the only part of the ship that wasn't classified. Do you know how many scientist scrutinized over his calculations?"

"I don't. A couple?" She said.

Captain T'Baze laughed.

"What?" Captain Jade asked.

"Try tens of millions," he said, "Even Niona's documentation is there. She's an actual genius. She has like eight PhDs, and never uses the T in her name. There has to be something going on outside the equipment. The rest of the ship's functions are so classified"

"Thank you, Captain T'Baze," she said.

"Major, I think we should bring the threat level to heightened," she said, "At least until we can understand the glitch."

The Major leaned forward for a second, and looked over at Captain Jade. "It would mandate three parasitic vessels patrolling at all times," he said, "We're talking about putting extra stress on the troops."

"We need an additional four Lanterns," she said.

"I can run it through Major Hall to put four Lanterns on a temporary duty assignment on the Dragon," he said. "Doraxia has nearly five hundred Lanterns patrolling her."

"How many around Zaar?" She asked.

"The rest," he said, "The Yellow Lantern Citadel and training compound has a constant batch of usable Lanterns."

Later in the evening…

Captain Jade meandered her way through the hallway of the ship, and she was on Private Naga's deck, but she was apprehensive about her next move. All she had to do was knock on the door of her hovel, but suddenly she was overwhelmed with undeniable guilt; it was like a pain of depression that rolled around in her head. She stood against the wall, and tried to push the feelings of regret out of her mind. It was hard for her because the feeling of death increased with each step she took towards the Private's hovel. By the time she mustered up enough strength to knock, she fell to one knee, and cried uncontrollably.

"What's wrong with you?" She said in a concerned voice. "You're crying and sweating badly."

"It's dread," she said, "And self loathing. I can't control it. Go get Lieutenant Iobi," she said with a grimace. "He can undo this."

When Lieutenant Iobi arrived on the scene, the Captain was in the middle of the floor crying. The feeling of dread had overtaken her, and she was inconsolable. He placed his forehead against her sweaty face, and went deep into her mind. Immediately, he pulled away from her, and said, "You need to contact the General."

"What? Why?" She asked in a flood of tears.

"'Cause when I went into your mind, he immediately told me to leave or else," he said, "So, what did you do is all I need to ask at this point?"

"Fraternize," she said.

"So, how did he know?" Private Naga asked.

"He's an empath," Lieutenant Iobi said, "When did he make contact with anybody on the ship who might have known about you two?" He pointed to Private Naga and Captain Jade.

"Oh shit!" She said. She slapped her hands on her forehead. "He probed the Major. Dammit! He had punished the Major, and then he removed his punishment earlier today."

The General pushed a telepathic thought to her, and asked, "Why did you disobey me?"

"I'm lonely, sir," she said.

"You're taking advantage of my good will," he said in a telepathic thought. "If my personal picks aren't following my orders, then how can I expect the rest of the Corp to do so?"

"I'm sorry, sir," she thought, "This ship can use four more Lanterns, and some viable officers in the Old Guard. This is a hardship duty."

"Break it off with Private Naga right now," he said, "I'm going to severe this telepathic link in a few minutes." He paused for a moment. "Captain Jade, we're a nascent organization paving the way for a new world. I implore you to follow orders, and no fraternizing with the enlisted. It causes confusion and confusion lowers morale." He paused.

"Sir, are you still there?" She asked.

"Yes. I see you're thinking about the glitch on The Flea, and I don't think it's a glitch. I will increase the Dragon's staff, and send three Lieutenants compatible with your crazy mind because I want increased patrols in the area too. But let me tell you this: if I catch you lying to me or breaking one of my commandments again, and you know exactly what I mean, I'm passing you over for your next rank."

"You're going to deny me my own command?" She thought.

"Damn right! The Annihilator Two will be assigned to Vega Star in one year, and it will have a full staff of Lanterns, but if you can't act right, then I'll find somebody who can."

"Sir, I can do this," she thought, "Just give me a chance?"

"I'm not listening to your promises," he said telepathically. "Just do what I need you to do. General out."

Suddenly, the weight of pain was lifted off her mind, and Private Naga and Lieutenant Iobi stood over her, and tried to snap her out of the trans. When she stood to her feet, she immediately said, "I can't see you anymore. He won't give me my next command if I keep seeing you."

She immediately left the area, and headed to the Officer's Lounge, and it was approximately sixteen officers in the bar. She decided to stay out of the Common Lounge because she didn't want to be caught fraternizing with the enlisted. In addition, she wanted to reinvent her social life because she felt like sleeping with a lower enlisted was a bad move socially. She still had on her black, utilitarian Lantern dress uniform, and she looked like she was still on duty. What she hated about the whole deal was she could smell Private Naga's sweet scent on her face. It was like she dipped all her clothes in the young Doraxian's fragrance, and it was driving her crazy.

She ordered a red Booshi called Flava Booshi, and it was one of the Booshi flavors that she hadn't tried yet. She took a booth in the far corner where it took a patron extra effort to see her. The fact that the General danced around in her head had her upset, and she felt violated by him. All of the empaths seemed to take liberties with their powers, and it was upsetting. There weren't any known Doraxian empaths, but they were all big in science, even the ones who weren't Ts.

The Officer's Lounge had a display of the Council of Science on the far wall, and then across the room was a display dedicated to T'Nalia, the Blue Ghost of Doraxia. She was somewhat of a hero outside of her Lantern duties. She wondered why she hadn't seen anything of the General since he was at the apex of both the Yellow Lantern Corp and the Old Guard Military. In fact, it was against the rules not to have a list of the chain of command in each company's perspective areas, and she hadn't seen anything referring to the General.

The bartender was Rex T'Levi, and she couldn't believe it took a man with a PhD in Archeology to administer drinks. He had his degree posted on the wall in a gold plated frame. He was a burly man about five eleven, but wide and portly with a grayish beard. His eyes were close together, brown, and almond shaped. He had the narrow tipped ears, and black hair with bouts of gray hairs throughout his head. When he moved out of the way, she saw a huge image of the General. She walked over to the bar, and ordered another Booshi, and saw what it said underneath the General's picture. "You better not have enlisted soldiers in my bar!"

Lieutenant Iobi walked into the bar in a black bodysuit with the Yellow Lantern symbol in the center of his chest. A yellow streak traveled down both arms, and it actually looked sexy. It was the authorized off duty uniform that all Lanterns wore except for Colonel T'Nalia. She wore clothing that broke up the outline of her body, and as far as Captain Jade knew, she was the only person that had that design. She hated the garrison, Yellow Lantern duty dress uniform. It was the exact opposite of ostentatious. There was a new garrison design that the Yellow Lantern Academy will release in twenty-seventy, and she thought it was just as ugly as the current one.

"How are you doing, Lieutenant?" Captain Jade asked. "Slow night?"

"Not really," he said. "I've watched your little girlfriend in the Common Lounge, and I think she's up to something."

"What do you mean?" She asked.

"She preys on the officers," he said, "I saw her take Lieutenant T'Nead back to her room."

Captain Jade looked down at her glass for a second. "I can't help but feel a little dismayed by that."

"She's slept with all the bridge officers except for Captain T'Baze," he said, "I'm talking about Captain T'Rove on the night shift too. She slept with him, and he took her onto the bridge."

"Seriously?" She asked. "That's a serious violation." She paused for a moment. "She could be pumping them for information."

"I came aboard the ship a week prior to you," he said, "I saw what she was doing, and I made an attempt to read her mind."

"What happen?" She asked.

"I wasn't able to." He paused for a moment. "It's like she was trained to circumvent telepathy."

"Circumvent?" She asked.

"Yes. I went into her mind, but she redirected me around what I wanted to know, and sent me right out of her head," he said, "I couldn't do it passively either."

"I guess some people know how to block empaths," she said.

"It's true," he said, "But she's the first Doraxian I've met with that ability."

"I wonder if an empath has gotten into the General's mind," she said.

The Lieutenant laughed. "Do you remember the people in Lantern School who went mad?"

"We had freakouts on the daily," she said.

"All telepaths. They were full of hubris because they thought no mind could resist them," he said. He laughed a little. "The General tossed all the telepaths into a room on the first day, and told them to stay out of people's minds. He told us that it was considered an egregious violation of privacy to do so." He giggled. "I already knew his abilities. I wasn't crazy enough to think I had the strength to enter his mind, especially when my sister told me he trained a Lantern who was fifty light years away with telepathy."

"It's true," she said, "She pilots the Demon."

"I met her. She was in my graduating class," he said. "Anyway, can you believe six telepaths tried to enter his mind while he was talking to us?"

"What happened?" She asked.

"He punished them," he said, "He completely stripped them of their powers with a thought. It nearly drove them all mad without that power."

"Did he give it back to them?" She asked.

"Yes. After three months, extra duty, and a two thousand page essay on T'Naga, he gave their powers back."

"Oh. I remember the guys whining about writing the Essay," she said, "I didn't know why."

"See, we're kind of the elite Yellow Lanterns," he said, "There's another batch of Lanterns who have their doctorates, and all they had to do was complete Yellow Lantern Basics, attend Yellow Lantern Officer Candidate School, and take the Lantern Ethics Course."

"I think the General got his PhD in six years, but he took a year off to handle an issue on his homeworld," she said, "I think T'Nalia received a PhD in five years. I'm talking Earth years though."

The next morning…

It was a quiet morning. She didn't see Lieutenant T'Nead, but Private T'Naga sat down at her table. All she had on her breakfast plate was a couple strips of Madi bacon. She had on some black gloves that looked awkward with her beige uniform. She looked serious for some reason. She looked around the room for a moment, and then said, "Be mindful of Lieutenant T'Nead."

"What made you say that?" Captain Jade asked.

"Captain Sparky Jade, I'm going to give you a code, and then you're going to do exactly what I say," she said, "A524134B2."

"Oh shit," she said, "Yes, Ma'am. What's your rank?"

"That's not important." She paused for a moment, and removed her right glove. It exposed her Yellow Lantern Power Ring. She placed the glove back on her hand, and said, "Go to the bridge, and check all systems. Deploy all parasitic ships, and watch for enemy combatants. If you find Lieutenant T'Nead, place her under arrest." 


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

T'Naga

Six Earth Years Earlier : Two Doraxian Years.

Doraxian Television Broadcast Channel 4 News:

Reporter: So, you know more about T'Naga's history than the people who were born here?

General McGinnis: Yes. I don't say this with hubris, but I have privy to knowledge that the average citizen doesn't.

Reporter: Why should we listen to you?

General McGinnis: My wife and I have the interest of the Doraxian people in mind when we say, "You should be honoring T'Naga's accomplishments and not denigrating him." Without T'Naga, there wouldn't be a Doraxia. It's really that simple. It breaks my heart that his descendants have chosen to change their honorable name because of the backlash over him committing himself to an asylum.

Reporter: But how do you explain the madness in his journals?

General McGinnis: Have you read his journals?

Reporter: Answer my question?

General McGinnis: Did you read T'Naga's journals?

Reporter: No. Why should I?

General McGinnis: Then what qualifies you to call anything he has written madness? If we're a society of great minds, then said great minds must do their homework. I sit here disgusted that such a small minded man thinks he has the right to disrespect the name of one of the greatest minds in Doraxian history without reading his works. What good is having that T on the front of your name, Mister T'Narian, if you're not using it for the greater good of Doraxia? Now, I have put T'Naga's work back in the space over this world, and I will have a warship patrolling Earth, one for Thoraxia, and one for Praxis. Within the next two years, the Demon will be saving Brion Noir from destruction and terraforming another planet in their solar system. T'Naga's work is saving lives. And if anybody has anything bad to say about the man, then I hope you remember that T'Naga's work saved your life.

Reporter: So, this is your world?

General McGinnis: I'm over the Doraxian Military and this world is building me a Lantern School on Zaar. I killed a Parallax threatening one of our science vessels. My wife is the Blue Ghost. So, is this my world, Mister T'Narian?

Reporter: You weren't born here.

End of Broadcast

Later in the day…

Doraxian Television Broadcast: Channel Six News.

Reporter: Legendary reporter, R'Ded T'Narian, was abruptly dismissed from News Channel Four this morning. The station said, and I quote, "We can't have one of our Reporters disrespecting the highest ranking Doraxian military officer on our network. General McGinnis has worked for the good of Doraxia, and given us the opportunity to appreciate one of our greatest scientist in our history. "

End of Broadcast

Doraxian Television Broadcast: Channel Eight News.

Reporter: So, what's your name?

Prea T'Priot: My name is Prea T'Priot, and my family name was Naga, but my ancestors changed it eight hundred years ago to avoid the shame. My family had copies of my ancestor's journals, but I had never read them until recently.

Reporter: What made you read them?

Prea T'Priot: General McGinnis. In every one of his journals, he's talking about Jimmy McGinnis by name. I wanted to read it for myself. He mentions the Blue Ghost in several passages too, and plainly discusses Niona Iobi. He even calls her the Emerald Princess and Green Witch. T'Naga says he built the Demon class ships for Jimmy, and that he would lead an Army that brings peace to the Universe.

Reporter: So, was he crazy?

Prea T'Priot: General McGinnis said, and I quote, "Any person who depends on logic and reason would question their sanity after writing this. He wasn't crazy. He just didn't understand what was happening to him. Needless to say, I was born. T'Nalia was born. Niona was born. The Demon has risen, and the first order is to restore T'Naga's name. I think as long as Doraxia denigrates their greatest scientist and treats his descendants like criminals, then its star isn't as bright as it can be." So, no. He wasn't crazy.

Reporter: Will you be changing your name?

Prea T'Priot: As soon as possible.

End of Broadcast

Prea was on the science vessel that picked him up when he was only fourteen-years-old, and she had him in a few of her classes at Glassco University. She was an intern on the science vessel, and she saw the relationship between T'Nalia and Jimmy blossom. Prea's first name was actually CheCha, but she went by Prea because she thought Prea T'Priot was a cool sounding name. But now that she took on the T'Naga name, she decided to go by Checha T'Naga her actual birth name. She lived in Glassco, and was just an everyday girl, a plain woman with absolutely no flair. She was shaped like a pole, and ridiculed her entire life for being the epitome of plain. So, she put some flair in her name by calling herself Prea T'Priot, but now that her real name had weight, she enjoyed CheCha T'Naga.

CheCha lived on the bottom floor of her domicile, and it was hardly anything worth mentioning. She didn't have a boyfriend at all, but she did hit on Jimmy before he could control his powers. It was on the science vessel, and she handed him a tray of food through a slot on the wall while T'Nalia was off somewhere. She thought he belonged to her, and became enraged at the mere thought that CheCha had an interest in him. It didn't make any sense because only the lowly, poor men of the slums had only one wife, and most Doraxian men of means had at least three. When T'Nalia saw her standing outside Jimmy's hovel, she went crazy on Prea. She told her to leave a couple of times; but on the third time, T'Nalia said, "If you don't get the fuck out of here, I'll chop off your head, and throw you out the bay doors."

Every morning, CheCha walked around Glassco University, and tried to keep her body in some kind of shape. She was a smooth skin blue woman approximately five-foot-five with long, black hair. She kept it cut in a bowl cut, and her pointy ears were visible. She had her T in Psychology, and worked as a counselor. Her eyes were evenly spaced, and green. She wore glasses, and opted out of the corrective eye surgery. She wasn't affiliated with any of the ascetic groups; besides, the ascetics were usually extremely wealthy, but coming from a poor background like hers, she hadn't developed the attitude to refrain from the sensual pleasures. Her sexual liaisons were many, but since she graduated with her PhD, only a few. The park was always a good place to meet stray, Doraxian men, but none of them seemed interested in carnal pleasures. It wasn't that she couldn't fall in love with an ascetic, but she wanted a man to ravish her when she wasn't looking. She loved having men pleasuring her, but she had wrestled with a few women during her college years. The girls called it dabbling, and she did it whenever the opportunity arose. She saw T'Nalia at a party once, sitting in the back of the room, and quietly minding her own business. Some of the city girls had been touching each other's cheeks as a way to say, "Let's dabble," and now that she thought about it, it was an insane thing to do. Placing a gentle hand on another Doraxian's face meant, "I love you sexually." It was a powerful meaning in Doraxian culture, and nobody ever said it unless they were in a committed relationship. Casual lovers didn't use that expression, and to use that expression with an ascetic was insanity. She gently touched Su'Ra T'Nalia's cheek, and lost two soft nights, and the doctor's told her she wouldn't suffer any permanent brain damage. She didn't see Su'Ra strike her in the face repeatedly, but people talked about it for a long time. In any case, She walked with madness to touch a Doraxian's cheeks because it had a special meaning, and it was a meaning known throughout the solar system.

CheCha sat outside her apartment on a hard night, a night where it was fully dark, and drank some Doraxian Ale while watching the Demon orbit the planet. It was a beautiful night, the kind of night where she wanted some extra company, but it wasn't in the works. She wondered if the Royal Couple was on the ground or in the Demon-or making love on the Glassco Mountains. She laughed at the fact that Jimmy and Su'Ra lived in a quaint apartment across the way, but after they returned, they now lived on the outskirts of the city on a large ranch. She saw an emerald colored woman and a chestnut painted woman walk over to her, and she immediately new it was Lieutenant Colonel Niona. Cautiously, CheCha watched her words, as she was not only a LTC in the Doraxian military, but the second wife of Jimmy's, and she looked the part. She wore the ascetic bowl cut, and her apricot, bittersweet hair flowed down the center of her back almost perfectly. Her face, and gazing directly at her face, at her eyes specifically, straight at her lime beauties were hypnotic, and she could barely turn away.

"Are you looking for somebody, ma'am?" CheCha asked with a smile.

Niona smiled back at her, and didn't display any teeth. "Has the General contacted you?" She asked.

"No, ma'am," she said.

"He wants to fast track you through the Officer Lantern Course," she said, "You can be a Lieutenant in four months. Due to your degree, you'll beat my Captain Diggle to the rank of LTC," she said. "She's enrolled in the officer course at Glassco, but you would be in the accelerated one."

"Why me?" She asked. "What makes me special?"

"Walk with us, T'Naga?" Niona asked. They walked down the sidewalk of the apartment complex, and Niona said, "The General asked for you specifically."

"But why?" She asked.

"You mean a great deal to him," Tina said with a grimace.

Niona laughed. "T'Nalia asked the same thing. The General needs an intelligence branch who collects, mines, and analyzes data. He needs a set of men and women who can acquire information using whatever means necessary without regrets. "

"He needs a whore?" She asked.

"He said an ally," she said with a straight face, "But he said you would say whore."

"Regardless, please don't ever let the General hear you call yourself a whore," Tina said. "He hates that."

Lantern Basic took place in the sticks of Zaar, and the Citadel was large and beautiful-and dangerous. It was a palace in the center of the camp grounds, and situated to the north of the base was a large mansion with the Lantern symbol on the front. The barracks stretched across the campus, and there was over thirty thousand recruits chanting and singing cadences all over the base. There were highrise buildings with the Lantern symbol on the front, and it was multiple barracks throughout the area. Because of the newness, everything excited her, and when Niona saw her enthusiasm on the parasite, she told her to enhance her calm.

"You're on your way to becoming an intelligence officer," she said, "You won't be living a life full of emotions."

"Yes, ma'am," she said with a grimace.

The faces on the parasite looked drab and unassuming-and full of sorrow, and in some ways unsure of what to expect. CheCha stepped off the parasite with her mates, and walked in front of the shuttle, and before she had an opportunity to unwind, a large, sapphire colored man in a black uniform with the name tag like her's walked over to her.

"Hello, sir," CheCha said politely.

"What the fuck?" Sixth Classmen T'Naga said, "Do I look like a sir to you?" He walked around her, and then said. "Get your asses at parade rest." He demonstrated the position, and some of the recruits were slow to move. "Are you slow or something, soldier?" He asked. "What's your name?"

"Checha T'Naga," she said.

"Oh. You're the General's favorite," he said. "Do you know what that means?"

"I'm special," she quipped.

"You're special alright. NOW BEAT YOUR FUCKING FACE!" He exclaimed!

She pounded her face with her fists, and Niona laughingly said, "Push-ups!"

"Get your asses on the ground, and give me twenty push-ups! Do it now! Move, maggots."

Checha walked into the barracks, a long bay with so many beds, and she grabbed a bunk in the middle of the room, on the right side, and next to a Dorian, and his battle scars were evident. The scar over his right eye made her curious, and something inside of her wanted to ask him what happened, but then she refrained from asking personal questions. He looked like a Doraxian, but he didn't have pointy ears, and he had a protruding forehead. He lay in the bed in his underwear, a black, lantern shirt, and black underwear. He read a manual called Lantern Regulation nine-twenty-three. It was a manual concerning the appearance of the Lantern uniforms.

"Dorian, what do your people call you?" Checha asked.

He looked over at her for a moment, and then said, "Subin Ra."

"I'm Checha T'Naga," she said. "It's really nice to meet you."

He laughed. "You know you better keep up?"

She paused for a moment, and didn't know what he meant. "What are you saying?"

"You know what I'm saying," he said, "I saw your television interview."

She gasped. "You did?"

"My Dorian Commander is on Vitic, and she's taking command of Grace," he said, "She said the General has big plans for you."

"I don't know why," she said, "I'm nothing special."

The inprocessing into the Lantern Corp took the entire day, and she signed several official documents that enlisted her into the Old Guard. As soon as she finished with Lantern Basic, she would receive her commission, and then move on to the Accelerated Officer Course. After that, she would enter into Lantern Intelligence School, but meanwhile, she had to receive her uniforms, t-shirts, underwear, boots, socks, and running shoes. They gave her two patrol caps, two berets, and two belts with Lantern buckles. Her entire day was nothing more than standing, waiting, and then waiting some more, and every now and again Sixth Classmen T'Naga would act crazy. Even in the chow hall line, it was stop and go all the way until she received her tray of slop: Madi meat, pip eggs, and cabbage with a sweet roll. She sat in the rear of the cafeteria, and Subin sat next to her, and he didn't waste time when it came to shoving the food in his mouth. She took a few bites of her food, and ate like she was back on Doraxia, and then when LTC Niona walked into the cafeteria, the Sixth Classmen T'Naga screamed, "At Ease."

"As you were," LTC Niona said. "Sixth Classmen, hurry the hell up, and get these maggots out of my chow hall."

"Yes, ma'am," he said, "You heard LTC. One more scoop, and then move out."

Back in the barracks, she sat on her bunk, pulled off her blouse, and laid her head on her pillow. The screaming and yelling-and the fact that she felt singled out weighed heavy on her soul. She tried to relax, but push-ups made her sore, and the harshness of the environment didn't sit well with her. She closed her eyes for a moment, and then a serenity came over her, and it felt good. Suddenly, she felt a tingle in her mind, and then Jimmy whispered to her telepathically, "I'm going to need you to be stronger, CheCha."

"Why am I so important to you?" She thought. "I'm just a raggedy girl from the slums."

"You are Doraxia," he said, "I need you to conduct yourself like you're an ascetic because we need the Nagas to move up the social ladder. Your family should break bread with the Nalias, Danks, Neads, and Narians."

"They will never allow Nagas to be in their group," she said. "They'll go to war with you before they allow that."

"Just conduct yourself accordingly," he said, "Don't do anything to cheapen your character."

In some ways, she felt the General equivocate about her looseness, but she didn't have any plans to act like she did in college, and sleep around in the hopes somebody would find her worthy. She knew boys from the upper crust used the girls from the slums as tools, and never had any intention of anything more. She moved past that stage in her life, and didn't want to relive it. All of the men she experienced in her college years never returned for a second date, and it left her damaged to a certain degree. She didn't have the poise or the gait-or even the knowledge to be desirable in the opposite sex's eyes.

She walked into the bathroom, and it was full of naked people of all genders bathing in the open, and she did the same. It was a menagerie of Lanterns of all different species and backgrounds, and due to her curiosity, she had to gawk. Some were furry, some were sleek and shaved, some were fiery red, some were white like the snow, some were beautiful like the midnight, and some were a combination of everything graceful in nature.

Nudity wasn't a problem in most alien communities, and they didn't view nudity the same as some of the more primitive cultures. She sat on the bench in the rear of the shower, slapped some shaving cream on her legs, and shaved them. Subin sat down beside her in the buff, and laughed. She looked down at his business for a moment, and then over at his face.

"What?" She asked. She looked down at her stubbly legs, and asked, "You need a shaving too?"

"You won't be doing that much shaving once we start with the actual training," he said. "We start with the LPT test in the morning, laser training, and then combatives."

She sat back against the wall, and her pubic hairs were thick, and her breast were about a c-cup. "We're going to have to set a cleaning roster," she said with a smile. The thought popped into her mind, and she quickly realized Niona had given her information telepathically. "With this many bodies, it's going to get nasty quickly."

"That's true," Subin said. "Surely, you'll have Command within a year or so, so you need to assert dominance."

Shaking her head in disbelief, she looked over at him, and asked, "How do you know that?"

"You're on the fast track program," he said.

She walked into the bay in the bare, and said, "Listen up. I'm going to make a cleaning roster for the bathroom. In addition, we'll need night guards who work in two hour shifts on either side of the room. I will make a roster for that too."

Niona walked into the bay, and said, "Okay. Private T'Naga is the Platoon Leader, and I will give her the information, and she'll give it to you." She handed CheCha the cleaning roster and the night guard's roster. "Post these on the wall."

"Okay," she said. "I'm going to put this on the far end of the wall." She walked down the floor in the nude, and then said, "Make sure you check this on the daily."

Next morning...

The physical fitness area had a musty smell, and about two thousand troops were in and around the area doing different types of exercises. Subin and Checha walked onto the field, and then she stood in the middle of it, and screamed, "Fall in." All the soldiers ran in her direction, and made one mass formation. There were about one hundred troops in her company, and Niona was the battalion commander. Her company commander was Captain Diggle, and she walked on the scene in her lantern uniform. "Go ahead and prepare them for the physical fitness test, Private T'Naga."

"Yes, ma'am," she said. She looked directly at the formation, and said, "Extend to the left. March!" The entire formation extended to the left with their arms out to the side, and as soon as they came to a standstill, she screamed, "Arms downward. Move!" She then centered herself on the formation, and said, "Left. Face!" She looked left and then right, and then said, "Extend to the left! March!" The soldiers did the same thing, and when they stopped moving, she said, "Arms downward. Move. Right, face! From front to rear, count off!" Once the soldiers finished with their count, she said, "Even numbers one step to the left! Uncover."

It was warm, real warm, and Tina walked through the formation as they stretched, and did a light warm up. "Remember," Tina said in a strong, but soft voice, "This is a diagnostic test, so I can see where we need to focus. If you cramp up or become sick during the test, then you're done. Nobody needs to perish in this heat. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, ma'am!" The company screamed.

After about ten minutes of stretches, Checha formed them back up, and started off with a twenty-five man front, and a series of Fifth Classmen descendant on the area, and the test commenced.

For about ten minutes, Sixth Classman T'Naga demonstrated how to do the pushups, and he talked about correct form, and Checha paced in the background. She worried about failing because she didn't want to disappoint the Command Staff, and that included Niona, Tina, T'Nalia, Jimmy, and so on. She knew the General was watching her closely, and he'd lose faith in her if she failed. She thought that, but the General never said such a thing or filled her head with that idea. It was something she made up in her own head.

Men of Doraxian, Human, and Neonotium had to do fifty-two pushups for a passing score, and when it came to Dorians, they had to do seventy-two push-ups to pass. The women-on the other hand-had to do twenty-five and thirty-six push-ups respectively. When the first group stepped forward, Tina screamed, "The rest of you give me an about-face. Give each other some privacy." Everybody turned in unison, and then Tina held a stopwatch in her right hand, and said, "Ready." She paused for a moment, and said, "Graders, give me a thumbs up."

"Yes, ma'am," they said.

"Get set," Tina said. "Begin."

Checha was next in the line, and she could hear Subin pushing the ground like he was a freight train, and she heard the counter say, "Eighty-eight." As soon the counter called out his number, he hopped to his feet.

"That's what I'm talking about," Subin barked.

When he walked past her, he tapped her on the shoulder, and said, "You go this, T'Naga. Make it happen." She smiled, and then did an about face, and knelt down on the gray pad. She looked straight ahead, tried to concentrate, and then she heard, "Get set." She assumed the position, and then she heard, "Begin." She tried her best to knock out her pushups, but by the time she knocked out fifteen, she felt her arms about ready to give out. She wasn't very strong when it came to the upper body, and she knew she wasn't going to make it. It meant she would be a failure in front of her peers. Suddenly, she felt a tingle in her mind, and something rejuvenated her muscles, and she continued to knock out her push-ups. When she reached thirty, she wanted to get up, but she couldn't move her hands off the ground. Suddenly, a voice entered her mind, and told her to keep pushing. By the time she finished, she knocked out seventy-two pushups.

"Goodness, Private T'Naga," Tina said, "You Lanterned the hell out of that."

Among the screams of failure, some of the soldiers walked over to the edge of field frustrated they didn't pass the test, and immediately she felt the need to remind them it wasn't for the record. She trotted over to the Lanterns, and said, "Stay positive, people. This is just a diagnostic. We'll work on it."

Zaar's humidity had a certain bite to it, and the heat made it feel like a pot of boiling water. Tina stood in front of everybody with her stopwatch, and screamed, "Drink water. This heat is serious business, even for the Doraxians."

After the physical fitness test, the soldiers marched back to the barracks, took a shower, and donned their utilitarian, black Lanterns fatigues, and formed it back up in front of the barracks. The General walked by with Colonel T'Nalia and LTC Niona Iobi, and Checha brought the troops to the position of attention, and saluted the General. He saluted back, and then looked directly at Niona, and she said, "Tomorrow, those damn chocolate bar boots better have a gloss to them. Sixth Classmen, make sure these maggots know how to polish their boots. Don't embarrass me in front of the General again."

"Yes, ma'am," he said, "Private T'Naga, you will be in charged of the boot party tonight. You will make sure every soldier is highly glossed for first formation. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Sixth Classment!" She said.

"Private Ra, Private Williams, Private T'Nead, and Private Nalia, you guys are my squad leaders. You will lead the squads, and insure your people are glossed for first formation."

She called the company to attention, and marched them over to the chow hall.

"Give them a right face, and file them from the right," Sixth Classmen T'Naga said.

"Right, face!" She exclaimed. "File from the right column right," she said.

"As you were," Sixth Classmen T'Naga said. "The squad leader on the right should say column right, march. The rest of you maggots say, 'Stand fast.' When you see the last person march by, the next squad leader will say, 'Forward, march.' Do you maggots understand?"

"Yes, Sixth Classmen."

"Try it again, Private T'Naga," he said.

"File from the right column right!" She exclaimed.

The Lanterns worked in unison, and Private T'Naga saw the LTC smiling outside the door of the chow hall, and she felt good about that. When the last squad marched into the chow hall, the Sixth Classmen looked at her, and said, "You eat last. Your soldiers eat first."

"Yes, Sixth Classman," she said.

Combatives Range: 0900 Hours

The morning heat beat down on the Lantern's heads, and a FWB or a floating water buffalo entered the area with refreshing water and energy drinks, and when it rolled by, a robot by the name of Reginald climbed off of it. He wore the Lantern, utilitarian black uniform with the beret, and his skin was the color of chestnuts. He had the rank of a Major, and he was the only sentient robot in the Lantern Corp. Immediately, he said, "Give the trainees a break for refreshments, Sixth Classmen."

"Yes, sir," he said.

"Squad leaders, make sure your soldiers are drinking water," Private T'Naga said. "Hydration is paramount."

After the water break, the soldiers walked out to the rubber pit, a black pit full of bits of rubber that allowed the Lanterns to throw, roll, and flip without hurting themselves. Fourth Classmen Du'Ra T'Nead demonstrated the landing techniques, and he flipped in the air, and landed perfectly on the ground. He fell slightly on his side, smacked his hand on the ground, and let out a yelp as his body made contact with the cushioned floor. He did the same flip two more times, and then had a twenty-five man front across the Combatives Park, and had them flipping, running out of the pit, and then circling around to do it again. Every time the whistle blew, a group of soldiers would flip into the air, and land perfectly or not so perfectly in the loose rubber.

Private T'Naga heard the whistle, and then she flipped, hopped to her feet, ran out the pit, and back around again. The smell of the rubber nauseated her, but she kept flipping. The Cadre screamed about them not making enough noise on impact, and some of them had to do it again. After a while, it began to hurt. It got to a point where the soreness from the LPT Test kicked in, and it was hard on her body, but she didn't complain.

"Drink an energy drink," Private T'Naga said. "Replenish those electrolytes."

Fourth Classmen Du'Ra T'Nead walked up to the pit, and did three side rolls in a row, and then when he was on the other side of the pit, he exited, and circled back around. He dove, rolled, and came up on his feet. He then repeated it until he was on the other side of the pit, and then he ran around to the other side. "Line up, and let's get this done," Sixth Classman T'Naga said.

The black rubber left dark streaks all over everybody's faces, and the rubber was hot, real hot, and it was hot enough to burn the skin of anybody who tried to lay in the pit. Waves of heat arose from the fiery blackness, and Checha watched it closely. The sun beat down on the Lanterns mercilessly, and the heat was at a dangerous level. Large machines flew overhead called Murks that sprayed the soldiers with mist that acted like coolant. A cool haze encompassed the area, and then the Sixth Classmen screamed for everybody to start rolling, and the rubber became a soupy mess, but they rolled nonetheless.

The whistle wasn't just a mere whistle; it became the bane of CheCha's existence while she rolled around in the tenebrous pit of rubber. The mist fell, and the soldiers rolled, and then the rubber painted everything black. Every time the Sixth Classmen blew that whistle, her heart raced, and she rolled and rolled-and then rolled. Her body ached, and all of her soldiers ached, and when they complained, she said, "Shut the hell up, and roll." And then the whistle blew for the last time, and she stood in the middle of the pit, and the mist fell, but it didn't do anything for the blackness, or the aches, or the slight headache from the repetitive rolls. She just stood their quietly wondering if she was meant to be a Yellow Lantern.

Firing Range…

CheCha sat on a ledge outside of the Firing Range, and had a Lantern Enhanced Edible Meal or LEEM, and it came in a golden brown package. When she opened it, she pulled out a white wipe, and used it to clean the blackness off her sapphire hands before she could consume her dehydrated meal. She felt the razor burns on her legs from shaving the previous night, and when Subin sat beside her, she said, "You should have done a better job in convincing me not to shave last night. My legs are on fire."

"Tried to warn you," he said, "That rubber is merciless." He took a bite of his Madi meat sandwich, and then said, "My legs are tight from the LPT test. I'm going to be hurting tomorrow."

She smirked, and then ate some rehydrated Madi meat without the bread, and then said, "I'm hurting now. I'm hoping I can qualify with my rifle because I can barely raise my arms."

"I bet the General marries the LTC within a year," he said with a smirk.

"What makes you think that?" She asked.

"The General and Niona saved the lives of the Dorian officers stranded during the Boar Wars," he said, "The General and Niona were on a tryst."

"There's something going on," she said, "But it's custom for wealthy men to have multiple wives."

"I'm not really saying it right," he said, "I think you're one of the General's wives."

She scoffed. "Oh please."

"Talk to one of the Neonotiums," he said, "They said you're his third wife, and Niona is his second."

"Surely they tease," she said, "In this society, Nagas are the trash. For the General to marry a lowly creature like me, it would cause a war. The Doraxians wouldn't tolerate a Naga with that much power. Besides, Su'Ra is my first cousin, but they disowned my mother for marrying my father. She'd object me to the General's face. And let's say Niona approved of law states that both current wives have to agree to bring in the third wife. The husband doesn't get a say so.

"But what if he really wants you?" He asked.

"There can be a physical relationship, but I wouldn't inherit any wealth. Let's be honest, I bring nothing to the table."

"Maybe he'll marry you for love," he said.

She laughed. "That's crazy. T'Nalia has a fortune. Niona's a princess on Neo Star," she said. "Jimmy owns a fleet of Demon ships, and received billions of dollars from protecting worlds throughout the galaxy." She paused for a moment. "I have nothing to offer the General."

"It's all crazy," he said, "Why would the COS give a nineteen-year-older the powerfulest ship in the universe?"

The Officer's Advance Course...

There were fourteen men and women in the accelerated advance courses, and all of them were part of the intelligence branch. The workload was next to insane, and it was harder than college courses at Glassco University. The cadre put four months of coursework into two months, and everybody thought that was it. The cadre spent days on the different systems of government around the Universe, and it was extremely boring. They taught them how to gather data, analyze it, and then change the classification on it. In addition, they were taught how to make positronic bombs that completely destroyed ships, and disseminate false information to bring down governments. CheCha had no idea that the little boy they found in space knew so much about destroying governments around the Universe.

The General walked into the classroom after the last test, and told everybody what they thought about him and the school because their minds were like an openbook to a telepath. Freely, he walked on the minds of his elite, intelligent recruits, and stole their thoughts without any resistance. It was a mental rape that none of them had ever experienced, and it seemed like the empaths in the class suffered the most. He demonstrated how powerful he was by controlling everybody in the room's actions, and when he focused on their parietal lobe, the sensation was so unexpected and forceful that the entire class screamed climatically.

"Don't let anybody control you without permission," he said calmly. "You must use mental Blue Fu techniques to counteract the strongest telepaths. If you can't block, divert. You keep diverting until you push the telepath out of your mind." He paused. In the back of the room was Niona, and he just gave her a look.

"Recruits! Attention!" Niona ordered. The General left out of the room., and then he immediately returned.

Every recruit lost balance, and stumbled to the ground. "I just manipulated your cerebellum. You're my elite intelligent officers, and you will conceal your thoughts. Punishments will be severe if you don't hide your thoughts from me," he screeched. "Every one of you were glad to see me exit the room. Hide that shit. The information in your head is classified. Act like it."

The Lieutenant Colonel walked in front of the classroom, and ordered all the students to push their desk to the sides of the classroom. She went through a series of meditation techniques, and ordered the class to follow her steps. She taught them how to empty their minds, and fill it with a series of diversions. It wasn't easy for all of them because they had hidden baggage in the nether regions of their conscience. Lieutenant Colonel Niona was a serious person who rarely smiled, but she was loyal to her General. She repeated the steps with the recruits to the point of nausea, and then she gave a sobering warning.

"If you don't pass these lessons, you won't graduate," she said with no feeling whatsoever.

Immediately, CheCha T'Naga had a whirlwind of thoughts running through her mind, and Lieutenant Colonel looked directly at her, and then she thought about a kitten playing with a ball of yarn. She thought about eating Madi meat pizza, and the Lieutenant Colonel smiled. It was a rare occasion for her to crack a smile outside of the people in her inner circle.

"Recruits! Attention!" Niona ordered. "Lieutenant T'Naga, stay. Recruits! Dismissed!"

Checha hurried up to the Lieutenant Colonel, and she immediately emptied her mind. She went to the position of attention. "Ma'am?"

"Walk with me Lieutenant," She ordered.

"Yes, ma'am," T'Naga said. "Am I in trouble?"

"Did you do something wrong?" She asked.

"No, ma'am," T'Naga said.

"Then why would you ask such a question?" She asked. "The General doesn't tolerate idle chitchat from recruits or self doubt. It's unbecoming unless it's for the mission.

"Yes, ma'am," she said.

"You're the General's pet," she said.

"Is that a good thing?" T'Naga asked.

"In most cases, yes. In your case, no," she said, "He said you're very manipulative, and tried to make T'Nalia jealous on the science vessel."

"It's true," she lowered her head to show shame.

The Lieutenant Colonel turned to her, and said, "Suppress your thoughts. Facial expressions are a form of communication."

"Yes, ma'am," T'Naga said.

"You're plain. You have no flare," she said, "You're artless. The General needs a spy who is irresistible, a seductress to all sexes. Can you be enticing?" She asked.

"I've had my share of men and women," she said softly.

"No. Did any of them call you back?" Niona asked.

"No," she said.

"The General doesn't want a skank. He needs a charming, irresistible woman who men, women, and all those in between will sell their souls to seduce," she said, "Your missions will go unknown, and you will never be rewarded. The closest friend you will ever have is the General. You can never talk about the part you played in the new world. If you accept your new role, he will send you to Earth for a year to train with the Silver Blades. Upon your return, you will be promoted to the rank of Captain."

"I thought my training in Blue Fu would suffice," she said.

"Seriously? That's an art mainly for self defense," Niona said, "We're training spies who may have to kill."

At the end of her arduous, spy training on Zaar, six people supposedly failed, and CheCha was in the group. She kept her calm when the General walked into the class in his black Lantern, form fitting uniform, and told her that she wasn't worth the time and money. He was brutal in his delivery, and he did the same thing to the other five students. He kicked them out of the classroom, and when CheCha was outside the building, she heard one of the Doraxian men say, "What the hell?" She turned around, and slapped him to the ground.

"Why did you do that?" He asked.

"'Cause we're the spies, you idiot," she said. "Never discuss this school or what went on here. The other soldiers are merely technicians."

"I see," he said.

Later in the week…

Niona gave T'Naga a week off before heading to Earth with Lieutenant Knight and five additional spies, and she was no more than eight-years-old. When she sat in the Dracunculus, Lieutenant Colonel Niona arrived with a black box that had top secret on it. She put up the shields on the windows, so the occupants couldn't see what she was doing. When she walked on to the ship, she placed the box under the Dracunculus pilot's seat. She pulled out her palm computer, and programmed it, but CheCha didn't know what was happening. She wasn't familiar with what she was doing, and she considered herself an expert on flying Doraxian ships.

"Ma'am, can I ask what you're doing?" T'Naga asked.

"No," she said. She didn't say anything else or try to explain it. "It's good that you're diverting your thoughts consistently now." She turned around to the crew, and said, "You're all at the right clearance levels, and what I'm about to tell you must never be uttered, repeated, or thought. Do you understand?"

"Yes, ma'am," they all said in unison.

"These parasitic shuttles are meant to drain the power of enemy ships, and not design for long term space travel," she said, "But we're taking this one sixty-five light years to Earth."

"That's four months," T'Naga screeched, "We'll starve."

Niona gave her a cold stare. "Shut up, Lieutenant. We know how long it takes." She paused for a moment, " I just fitted a Transwarp apparatus on the ship, and we'll be on Earth within an hour."

T'Naga slowly raised her hand.

"Lantern, what?" She asked.

"That's impossible," she said.

"Tell that to the General," Niona said, "He made it."

"He's the real deal," she said.

"Houston, we have a cheese eater onboard," Karen said.

Niona smiled. "It appears we do."

"I know that's a slight," T'Naga said, "I'm just going to sit back and enjoy the short short ride."

"Just remember it's secret tech. Nobody discusses it with anybody," Niona said. "Once you have your ships, if the tech isn't innate to the parasitic conveyance, then remove it, put it in its case, and take it with you."

Once on Earth Niona took the ship to Tibet, and an Asian woman named Talia met them. When she walked off the parasitic vessel, she was met by over fifteen assassins, and then an older, Asian woman came out of nowhere. She was very beautiful, and had a long streak of gray hair down the center of her head.

"Talia, the General sends his thanks for taking in these Doraxian soldiers," she said. She opened up her top secret case, and gave her five gold bars worth nearly fifteen million dollars.

"I was willing to train them for free," she said, "The General liberated the world, and has manned ships protecting humans from enslavers. We'll do whatever we can for such a gracious leader."

Niona nodded her head, and said, "He'll feel disrespected if you don't take his gold."

"In that case," she took the gold bars, and handed it to the gentleman standing to her right. "Do you want us to train the women too?"

"No. But thank you for offering," she said, "I'll return for these soldiers in three earth years. Please note that we may send more troops your way for training."

"We welcome this," she said.

When Niona landed on Paradise Island, Christina met them on the beach, and she embraced Niona. It was the first time that T'Naga had met a woman over seven feet tall, and it shocked her for a moment. She was a tenebrous woman with long, curly hair, but when she looked at her curls closely, it resembled snakes.

She handed Christina some bars of gold, and said, "Train the General's soldiers well. I will be back for Lieutenant T'Naga in three years," she said, "Lieutenant Knight will be with you until she's twelve-years-old, and it's important that both soldiers are trained well."

"We promise," Christina said, "The General is a great man, and we'll help him in his quest to improve the 'Verse."

Niona placed her hands on T'Naga's shoulders. "You must tutor Karen where she's lacking. Promise me you will do that?"

"Yes, ma'am," she said, "I will treat her like my sister."

"As will we all, Lieutenant Colonel," Christina said.

The morning started off quietly, and T'Naga had a hard time sleeping because of the rustic living conditions. She walked out of the large, female quarters, looked over the land, and thought it was archaic. She couldn't believe she agreed to spend three years in a backwards society hell bent on eliminating men. Directly outside of the hut was a bust of a woman named Athena. She looked at it for a moment, but none of it resonated for her. She slept in a room full of women warriors who were austere like the ascetics. There wasn't a frumpy one in the entire room, and they slept with their weapons underneath their cots. Immediately, she had the feeling that every last one of them hated men, and that was further substantiated when she overheard a group of women question any woman who would submit to the will of a man. She thought their thinking was hostile when it came to the opposite sex. She thought about T'Nalia for a second, and remembered that she was The Blue Ghost, a Yellow Lantern, and the second in command of the Doraxian military.

The first thing the women did was go for a little swim in the ocean. They raced back and forth to a smaller island about five hundred yards from the main island. Karen didn't do so well at first, and had to use her ring to make herself a life vest on a couple of occasions. Christina worked with her daily on her swimming techniques until she was able to make the distance without struggling.

It took T'Naga a few tries to beat the swim course, but she struggled with the cooler temperatures. When her body hit the cool water, it shocked her for a moment. All the other ladies had good starts, but she lagged behind them at first. When she saw them climb out of the water onto the dry ground, she thought she was done, and she felt a bit of delight. But as soon as her feet touched the gritty sand, the ladies dove back in the water for another swim to the other side.

She heard Karen crying in the middle of the swim trek, and one of the girls named Diandra said to her, "Child. You have to find your inner woman, and do this."

"I can't," she said.

"If that's how you feel, then you will never complete the trek," she said. The young woman swam off, and left Karen floating in the water.

"Karen, swim over to me," T'Naga said. "We'll do a little more every week." The child dog paddled back to the Island, and the other women waited for her with their arms folded.

"She will grow strong," Diandra said, "I was ten the first time I made it there and back."

"See, Karen," T'Naga said. "There's hope for you."

It was only seven-o'clock in the morning, and the water had dried out Karen's hair. It was kinky, and it looked feral. Christina gave T'Naga some essential oils for Karen's hair, and she braided her hair every morning after the swim. T'Naga made it a morning ritual to fix Karen's hair, and then they would discuss their military lessons. They quoted their general orders every morning, so they wouldn't forget.

Christina walked into the women's quarters, and handed them canteens. "Drink plenty of water throughout the day," she said, "Dehydration will sneak up on you."

"Yes, Sister," T'Nalia said, "Thank you."

"Thank you, Sister," Karen said.

After they ate a small breakfast of honey, fish, and flat bread, they practiced with the sticks. T'Naga found them to be tedious because it was a twenty something pound stick, and when they practiced their techniques, it went all the way to lunch. When she looked at her hands, they were sore and blistered, and the same was with Karen's. T'Naga had always thought she was a masochist on some level, but now she realized she was nowhere near the level of the ladies around her when it came to enduring pain.

Lunch consisted of tender, fried shark meat, brown rice, and a soft, buttery roll. The roll was the best part of the meal because it nearly melted in her mouth. The shark meat didn't have a pleasant taste at all, and if it wasn't for the fact she needed energy to survive, she would have tossed it. The other women didn't mind the atrocious food, and when Christina sat in front of her, she said, "Remember, you don't live to eat. You eat to live."

"That's true," T'Naga said,

Surprisingly, her blue skin wasn't a liability in the social standing on Paradise Island because everybody was treated the same. She was a sister as much as all the other women, and she wasn't human at all. She wondered how women who lived on the fringes of an already archaic world had ideals that she thought were equal to her own. She then realized it was the exclusion of men that allowed them to see her as a sister. It was a time in Doraxian history when they thought archaically, but that was the time of the Grays. Blues hated Blues, and saved all their graces for the Grays. It was a self-destructive time. But on Earth, it seemed that Paradise Island was humanity's last contingency; it was the ancestors of the ladies around her that saved humanity on more than one occasion.

It was obvious that a blue woman such as herself was incongruous to the planet Earth, but she saw something in her sisters. Unfortunately, the United States was in a Civil War, and it was based on skin color. It had spilled into the deep waters of the Pacific Ocean, and went far beyond small-arms fire. An airbase in Central California launched two sub-nuclear missiles into the ocean, and it was headed for Paradise Island. The entire island went on alert, and a positronic gun protruded from the center of the community, and fired two shots, but missed its target. Karen and T'Naga flew into the air, captured the missiles, and redirected them to above the clouds. They exploded without causing any harm.

When they returned back to the Island, Christina told them about the deconstruction of several major societies around the world, and they estimated it would take them hundreds of years to recover from the invasion and enslavement of humankind. T'Naga didn't speak on the subject because the General hadn't given her permission to discuss his feelings about the situation. She learned quickly that he had decathected from the United States before he ever left the planet the first time. After he had a meeting with the Council of Science on the matter, he wrote a secure memo detailing why he wouldn't interfere in the Civil War in the United States. He had a ship over the planet call the Annihilator One commanded by Major T'Nifa, an Old Guard officer who wanted to retire. The General rescinded his retirement until his Lanterns finished with their schooling. That meant he'd be commanding the ship for six, long Earth years.

T'Naga pulled her communicator out of her personal suitcase, and looked over it for a moment. She didn't expect to have to use it, but the fact two military missiles almost hit Paradise Island was unacceptable. She pressed the button to contact the Annihilator One. "Commander T'Nifa, this is Lieutenant T'Naga," she said, "Are you there? Over."

"What do you need, Lieutenant?" He asked.

"Two missiles nearly hit Paradise Island. Why didn't you shoot them out of the air?" She asked.

"The General told me not to interfere with earthly matters," he said.

"He said don't mess with the Continental United States," she said, "If an errant missile leaves the borders of the United States, you're ordered to shoot it down."

"On whose authority?" He asked.

"I don't want to sound over dramatic, Major, but I have Karen Knight with me. Do you know who she is?" T'Naga asked.

"Isn't she in the Inner Circle?" He asked.

"That's right," she said, "Think about it the next time a missile heads this way."

Later in the morning, Christina demonstrated the art of the Silver Blades, and they practiced sword fighting with wooden blades. They did takedown techniques for hours, and then the girls practiced on countering those moves. It was a tedious endeavor, but she learned many moves not taught in the Blue Arts. The Blue Arts focused on self-defense moves, and when it came to offensive tactics, it wasn't part of the original art form.

Karen was good at sword fighting, and when T'Naga asked where she learned her moves, she said the General taught her telepathically when he taught Tina. She said he would bring her into his mental training sessions, and teach her how to fight with or without the Yellow Power ring. In addition, she had Niona and T'Nalia training her a couple of times a week.

"You have just as much training as me," T'Naga said.

"Life isn't easy being part of the inner circle," Karen said, "Training is the difference between life and death. I had just turned seven when he freed me from bondage, and I've been training every day since."

"I'm amazed he chose me," T'Naga said.

Karen laughed. "He saw your interview." She paused. "He called you Prea."

"That's the name I went by," she said, "I changed it back after he gave my family name meaning."

"When he saw your interview, he said, 'How did we miss the perfect soldier?'" She said. "T'Nalia didn't have the same reaction, and Niona and I left the bridge. If you haven't heard their arguments, you'll be shocked that two intelligent people can stoop to nasty insults. If she pushes his buttons, everybody on the ship will feel his pain on a mental level."

T'Naga laughed aloud, and said, "Oh. I've been there," she said, "I was there when they first met."

After two months in the process, T'Naga and Karen dove into the Ocean from the cliff, and raced across the cold water. T'Naga was slightly ahead of the youngster, but she swam like a seasoned pro. When they arrived on the far island, they hopped out of the water, and practiced their Silver Blade techniques. Once they finished with the twelve forms, they dove back into the water, and swam to the other side.

T'Naga sat on the south edge of the Island, and quietly watched the birds. She loved the seagulls as they flew through the air majestically. Many of them were white with black tails, and they flocked on the far end of the island. The seagulls made her feel good, but it wasn't a panacea for all her pains. On some levels, she felt the south end of Paradise Island was cathartic. It gave her a sense of solace. She was an expert at suppressing her feelings, but it didn't mean she didn't have them. It was a mandate from the General that none of his spies could show emotion, but at the end of the day, some surfaced. Every day she worked on keeping them down, but they had a way of bubbling to the top. She feared the General persuaded her to enter a world of loneliness, and it frightened her to be alone emotionally, and as her time on the island slowly went by, she realized the General had his wife and sagacious sage on his side. They filled that void that lurked in his soul. Unfortunately, she had to learn how to suppress the raucous in her mind, but it was hard. She felt that her mind was going through some kind of process over her decision to becoming a spy. But at the end of the day, she realized nobody had ever filled the void in her soul, and to make matters worse, no man had filled her vagina more than once. She searched her heart for a moment, and she was upset. She had spent her entire life studying, and now that she had achieved all her goals, she had a job that wouldn't allow her a family.

Karen flew down to her from the top of Paradise Island, and sat beside her for a moment. "I was the first through the Officer Spy School, CheCha," she said, "I'm only eight-years-old, and my mind has been brutalized by two powerful telepaths." She paused for a moment. "I learned how to divert, block, and the whole game, but it wasn't easy. You have to continue to suppress your emotions, sister, because when you leave here, I promise you Niona won't take it easy on you."

"Niona said the General took a special interest in me," she said.

"If I knew what I know now, and Niona told me that, I would cry and run-a-way," she said, "Because he never complains if I don't meet his expectations, he pushes his disappointment into my mind telepathically, and it's a thousand times worse than anything I can fathom for myself."

"Can you divert his abilities?" She asked.

"I don't think you understand how the process works," Karen said, "Niona was a trained telepath. On her world, they spent the majority of their schooling training the mind." She paused for a moment, and then said, "Niona taught the General how to circumvent, penetrate, and annihilate the mind. He's stronger than any telepathic creature known."

"So, was all the training worthless?" She asked.

"You'll be able to divert most telepaths," Karen said, "But if they are well trained, it's like Blue Fu, but with the mind. This is the reason you must continue to practice daily because as soon as we leave Paradise Island, you're promoted, and given your assignment."

"How do you know this?" She asked.

"It's only known in the Inner Circle," she said, "You do know you're in the circle, right?"

"Me?" She asked.

"The General has taken a special interest in you is the key," she said, "You're reporting directly to Niona." She patted her on the back. "Don't tell anybody about this conversation."

"I won't," she said.

"You're getting a warbird called the Subterfuge in six years," she said.

"I'm going to enjoy that," she said, "The shipyard is already working on your ship, and fitting it with two gamma cannons and four positronic laser cannons. It will be the first warbird with twenty slots for parasitic Lantern ships. They will attach to the outer hull of the ship, and help maximize shield strength in case of a sudden attack."

"Wow! Are you pulling my leg?" She asked.

"Nope. The General designed the ship specifically for you," Karen said, "It's a warbird with Demon level shields and weapons. This is the reason why we can't discuss this ship with anybody. Colonels and above are the only ones allowed to command Demon class ships. "

After the first year of training with the Silver Blades, she went to the other side of the Island with the Bullets and Bracelets regiment, but they only had two sets of bracelets made out of amazonium, an indestructible metal supposedly forged by the gods. The actual bracelets were in a golden display in the main temple, but it was off limits to everybody except the top brass of the Island. Karen stood in the middle of the small field wearing a substandard bracelet on her wrist, and when the women fired an innocuous laser at her, she missed it, and was struck in the shoulder. It had a slight sting to it. When the Amazon fired the second laser, she blocked it with ease.

"Why are there only two sets of these bracelets?" She asked.

"The gods gave us three pair, but one pair died with Diana," Christina said.

"Gods?" T'Naga said. She placed her hand on her head, and then walked into the sleeping quarters. She grabbed her palm computer, and sent it to analyze the actual bracelets, and if the Annihilator One's replicator could duplicate the bracelets. When the computer returned to her, it had the ingredients for the metal, and the ship's replicator had the ability to reproduce them. "Christina, the warship above the planet can make the bracelets."

"Like the real ones?" She asked.

"Exactly like the real ones," she said, "There's no reason that every member can't wear the real deal."

Christina folded her arms, and said, "I'm worried about protocol."  
"Isn't it sisters working to help sisters?" T'Naga asked.

"How long will it take to make?" She asked.

"The replicator is already producing thirty sets," she said, "I will have the major's XO deliver them."

When the bracelets arrived, it was a Fourth Class Tia Di'Andre, a female parasitic pilot to drop them off. For some reason, the Major had a hard time understanding the culture, but after about fifteen minutes of back and forth, he finally agreed to a woman pilot. She handed a pair to all the women, and they placed them on their wrist. Christina pulled out a real gun, and fired it at one of the experts, and the bracelets worked like the originals. T'Naga thought she had done something great, but she did something unexpected: she challenged their religion.

"If anybody can make the bracelets, then how can I be sure our gods made the originals?" Demetria asked.

"It does make me wonder," Herita said, "I thought only the gods could produce Amazonium."

T'Naga realized that she went too far, and now she had to use her skills of manipulation. "The replicators on the warship were forged by the technology of the gods," she said, "I guess I should have mentioned that in the beginning."

"Demetria, we're sorry about that," Karen said, "Our technology was designed by Zeus himself, and to think we can produce your bracelets without his blessing is a step into madness."

"That sounds reasonable," Christina agreed.

"So, please consider the bracelets a gift from father Zeus," T'Naga said.

Later in the week…

The fact that she lied about the originator of the bracelets caused more lies, and it was getting out of hand. When she said that Zeus approved of the bracelets, they asked her if she had ever met Zeus. It was to the point that she was losing her mind trying to keep up with the lies.

Karen celebrated her ninth birthday, and when the ladies asked her about Zeus, she said plainly, "Father Zeus doesn't want me to discuss the bracelets. He has told me the bracelets were a gift, and I shouldn't try to explain god's manna to mere humans."

"You're right, sister," Demetra said.

"I think you should pray about your doubts, and find a path back to our father's grace," she said, "I'm going to meditate about it now."

"I will, sister. Thank you for your powerful words," she said.

Karen and T'Naga practiced with their bracelets, and then T'Naga asked, "Did the General tell you to say that?"

"Yep," she said. "What did he say to you?"

"Be quiet, and let you handle it," she said, "How can he speak to us from Doraxia?"

"I don't know. It's a blessing and a curse," she said, "But I called him, and said we were in trouble."

"Yeah. I was leading us down a dark path," T'Naga said, "I didn't know what to say."

"Well. The General is an atheist," she said. "But he tells us to always be careful not to tread on other world's traditions. This lesson was covered in your studies."

"Yeah. I guess I'm naive," she said, "I didn't even think to apply it to this situation."

"This is why we have to practice those skills," she said, "We're not empaths and telepaths. We have to train hard to compete with them."

"I just realized something," she said.

"What's that?" Karen asked.

"You're here to keep an eye on me," she said, "I allowed Niona to make me believe I was training you."

Karen laughed. "The General is relieved," she said, "He was afraid you were an idiot."

"So, I'm still being tested?" She asked.

"Every day," she said, "The General said you either suppress your feelings or you're going to start feeling a lot of pain."

"So, has the General been spying on me this whole time?" She asked.

"Nope. I told him the problem, and he read your thoughts to get a quick assessment of the situation." she said, "He's going to be working with you telepathically after he finishes with building the parasitic, Lantern prototype with T'Nalia." She paused. "Meanwhile, he needs for us to practice on suppressing our thoughts."

Christina walked over to them, and they stood in the middle of the small field, and said, "Jimmy just contacted me," she said, "I hate when he does that."

"He's contacted you before?" T'Naga asked.

"Several times," she said, "He promised that he'd liberate my homeworld." She paused for a moment. "I had the troops assembled to assist him, but he already had the Kryptonians leaving the planet. Later he contacted me about training you guys."

"What did he want from you now?" Karen asked.

"He told me to bring out CheCha's beauty and grace," she smiled. "He said he needed an adaptable, cosmopolitan woman who can seduce worlds. He said your comportment was atrocious, and he needed a substantial improvement."

"That's impossible," Karen said.

"Surely, he wasn't talking literally," Christina said, "But I know what he meant."

"I'm like a lump of clay in this game," CheCha T'Naga said, "Molded into the General's image."

Karen laughed. "That explains why you have that bowl cut, and long, flowing hair in the back," she said, "That's Colonel T'Nalia's hair cut. You're his third." She laughed aloud, and then Christina started laughing.

"It's true," T'Naga said. "Why didn't I see that? This is one of the styles of a married, ascetic woman."

"Why did you choose it?" Christina asked.

"It feels right," she said. "It goes with my face. What do you think?"

"It does," Karen said, "You look like the royal sect." Karen smirked. "I just realized something."

"What's that?" T'Naga asked.

"The General persuaded you to fashion your hair that way," Karen said.

"It makes sense," Christina said, "He took your ancestor, and made him whole in the eyes of the Doraxian people. He told me the tragic story."

"That's why he's focused on you so much," Karen said, "You're the descendant of the man he admires the most."

Several of the Amazons worked with T'Naga's gait, and it wasn't easy for her. Her entire life was comprised of slouching, and dragging her feet when she walked. She never had a significant other, and every one of her excursions was with an inebriated individual. No sober Doraxian had ever looked at her, and thought to approach her sexually. She didn't have a style of her own that set her apart from the crowd, and now the Amazons were bringing her inner beauty to the surface. Christina was fastidious with her gait; she was upright, and walked with poise. Every step flowed with precision.

"You did that perfectly," Karen said to Christina.

She smiled. "I was a Princess on my homeworld, but we escaped when the Lords of Decay attacked my planet."

"Where do I know that name?" T'Naga said.

"The General's genetic makeup includes that race," she said, "They're the reason he has the power to kill everybody in the room when he couldn't control his powers."

"The Lords of Decay have powers like that?" Karen asked.

"No. They usually have to touch flesh, and absorb its strength. Scientist weaponized it when they made Jimmy's genetic goo," she said, "It was the reason the Justice Corp hated him."

"My father had the best trainers on the planet to teach me comportment," she said, "He dreamed we'd return to Gorgon, and I would rule with grace."

"Where's your father?" Karen said.

"Don't know," she said, "He disappeared over Gotham during the battles."

Karen cried a little. "Was your father Captain Africa?" She asked?

"Yes," she said.

"I was six-years-old when I saw the battle between Captain Africa and two Kryptonians," she said. "I saw him fall into Gotham lake, but he never resurfaced."

"Are you sure?" She asked.

"Yes," she said, "My father had all of Captain Africa's memorabilia," she said, "I recognized him."

"Interesting," Christina said. She paced back and forth for a moment. "Did the Kryptonians go in after him?"

"No," she said, "They flew off."

"What are you thinking?" T'Naga said.

She smiled. "It's probably nothing, but Gorgons hibernate in the water. He could be there for twenty-years."

T'Naga placed her right hand on Christina's back. "Sister, I will ask the Annihilator One to scan that lake."

"You'd do that for me?" Christina asked.

"Sisters helping sisters," Karen said, "That's the way we roll."

T'Naga and Karen walked on the beach of Paradise Island, and they waded in the salty water for a moment. She watched the water beat against the rocks, and then she saw some clothes floating.

"What's that?" Karen asked.

T'Naga flew into the air over the clothes, and when she grabbed them out of the water, it was three, dead men. She brought them to the beach, and gently laid them on the ground. They were brown skinned, much browner than Karen, but lighter than the General.

"I wonder how they died," Karen said.

"It looks like starvation," T'Naga said, "There might be hundreds of Americans trying to escape the continent because of the Civil War."

Christina descended on the beach, and Karen said, "I didn't know you could fly."

"All Gorgons can," she said, "I don't do it much these days." She knelt beside the bodies, and then said, "It's the horrors of the Ocean."

"It's the violence," T'Naga said, "People are trying to escape the violence without being prepared for the sea."

"Take them to the morgue on the east end of the Island," Christina said.

T'Naga picked them up with the power of her ring, and took them to the morgue, and then she said a Doraxian prayer over them. "May the laws of science allow your cosmic energies to flow back into the Earth."

Two weeks later…

It was early in the morning, about thirty minutes before the swim, when T'Nalia felt the pressure on her frontal lobe. When she rubbed her head, she realized she was standing on the beach, and she didn't know how she had gotten there.

"What's going on with me?" She asked.

Suddenly, she heard a voice in her head. "I usually relay messages to you through Karen. She's like my daughter, and I need you to stay up with her mental training. Now, Did you feel any pressure in your head just now?"

"Yes, General," she said, "It was a slight pressure and a tingling in the front of my head."

"I'm going to sever the link between us, and then I want you to see if you can feel when I return," he said, "If you can feel the connection, then you can divert it."

"Okay, sir," she said, "Let's try it."

When the General severed the link between him and his protege, she stood, quietly on the beach for about a minute. Once he reconnected to her, she felt a slight tingle. It was just enough for her to recognize it.

"Did you feel anything?" The General asked telepathically.

"A tingle," she thought. "It was ever so slight."

"Now, when you feel that tingle, I want you to wrap your thoughts with images of pips," he said telepathically.

"Why pips?" She asked.

"It doesn't have to be pips, silly," he said telepathically, "Just make sure it's something that doesn't give away any secrets."

The General severed the connection for a moment, and then upon reconnection, she immediately thought of a flock of pips, and kept that image up for about thirty seconds. Suddenly, she felt another tingle and then another one and then another one until the General was able to bypass her ruse. "It's okay, Lieutenant. You diverted me for a few seconds, and that's better than most. I think if you have a poem along with random images you'll be able to shut a telepath down completely."

"It's overwhelming, sir," she thought.

"I know, CheCha, but I believe in you," he said, "For homework, I want you to learn a poem by Robert Frost, a great Earth poet. After you rotate through five, good innocuous images, recite the poem," he said, "This should give you enough time to escape or fatigue the telepath. To do the latter intimidates the telepath, and many of them are insecure when they encounter a strong mind."

"Thank you for this lesson, sir," she thought.

"You have another two years of training," he said telepathically, "I have your first assignment on the Blue Dragon as soon as you're done on Paradise Island."

"What will I be doing?" She thought.

"Blending into the enlisted section," he thought telepathically. "Get back to your training, Checha. I will contact you in a few weeks."

"Yes, sir," she said.

After the morning swim, the ladies formed the Circle of Grace, and T'Naga was in the middle of it. Christina was walking around the circle, and she gave the orders for one of the ladies to attack T'Naga.

"Karen! Attack," Christina said loudly.

The young, Earth girl raced into the circle, and they engaged in hand-to-hand combat. When Karen slipped up, T'Naga pushed her backwards against Demetria, and then Christina yelled, "Demetria! Attack!"

The Amazon flipped into the middle of the circle, and lunged at T'Naga with a front snap kick. T'Naga flipped into the air, and knocked the young woman on the ground. Christina flipped into the circle, and the combatives were fast and precise. Christina rolled T'Naga onto her back, and then T'Naga rotated to her feet, and kicked the Amazonian in the chin. Christina leaped backward, lunged forward, and then methodically tossed T'Naga onto the ground. The fall was done controlled and professional. T'Naga laid on her back trying to catch her breath, and then Christina dismissed the other ladies.

Karen said, "You okay, champ?"

"I think so," she said, "Christina kicks fast."

"Do you know Jessica Hall?" Christina asked.

"I know her quite well," Karen said, "She's in the General's Inner Circle."

"She trained me," Christina said. "She also trained Vivian."

Karen laughed. "Jessica is one tough cookie," she said, "I know her sister too."

"I don't know these women, but I saw them for a brief moment," she said, "They were going through the Officer Lantern School at Glassco University. I was on my way to Zaar the next day."

"I start the Officer Lantern Course when I'm fourteen," she said. "I'll be promoted to Captain on my entry date, and promoted to Major on my exit date."

"How long is the school?" Christina asked.

"Six, long Earth years," Karen said.

"Oh. That's a long time," she said, "You'll be like twenty." She smiled. "You're so grown already."

"It's because I'm the communications officer on the Demon," she said, "I've learned so many different languages and customs that I feel like my head is going to explode."

"So, are the General and T'Nalia like your parents," Christina said.

She paused for a moment, and T'Naga set up with her arms folded. She looked over at Karen. "I don't know," Karen said, "I ask them for permission like they were my parents. I cry in the General's arms when I'm upset."

"The General talked to me this morning," T'Naga said. "The first thing he said was take care of Karen because she's like a daughter to me."

Karen started crying for a moment, and Christina and T'Naga hugged her. "What's wrong?" T'Naga asked.

"I missed them," she said. "They're the closest I will have to parents."

Two Months Later…

T'Nalia and Niona flew one of the newly, off-the-line parasitic Lantern ships to Paradise Island, and visited Karen for a day. T'Naga immediately noticed the Colonel's comportment, and she stood like she owned the world. Niona was the same way, and she entered into T'Naga's mind for a moment.

She said telepathically, "The General is pleased with your progress, as am I."

"He's reticent when it comes to the comments," she thought.

"Don't expect the same praise from T'Nalia, but keep up the good work."

"Thank you, ma'am," she thought.

Niona walked over to T'Naga, and said, "Come check out the new ships." They walked over to the vessel, and it was made out of an indestructible alloy, and it had two seats in it. The shuttle had a bathroom in the rear and two beds. It had the ability to go into transwarp, and it had one gamma cannon. In addition, it had a positronic laser with the capabilities of traveling at warp nine. In attack mode, it had cables that attached onto an enemy ship, and drained it of its power. The vessel didn't have to sit directly on the ship like the older models.

"This is the Colonel's machine," Niona said, "The basic, parasitic vessels travel at warp seven."

"Will all of them be silver?" She asked.

T'Nalia and Karen walked up to her, and she said, "No. Field grade officers will have vessels like this one. Your vessel will be black." T'Nalia smiled. "Actually, you will have a black vessel that travels at warp nine."

"My vessel will be like this?" She asked.

"It will actually have more gadgets than this," she said, "Remember, you're an intelligence officer. Your special gadgets will be concealed until you need them. Once the Subterfuge is finished, it will have twenty parasitic vessels attached to it."

"Doraxia is changing so fast," T'Naga said.

Niona laughed. "You'll love this. The Doraxian government is tracking down all the Nagas, and given them forty billion dollars, and a monthly stipend for life."

"We'll be moving up the social ladder," T'Naga said.

"The General estimates the Nagas will have a seat on the Council of Science in seven years," T'Nalia said, "That will put you in line for the position."

"Seriously?" She asked.

"You will have the credentials," Niona said, "All you have to do is make the rank of Colonel in five, Doraxian years."

"What about me?" Karen asked.

"Honey, we have a load of things planned for you," T'Nalia said.

"It's a lot," Niona said in agreement. "Upon graduation from Glassco, you're taking charge of a three hundred man Battle Cruiser called the Earth Shaker."

"It's a nice ship," T'Nalia said. T'Nalia and Niona hugged Karen, and Niona looked over at T'Naga.

"Keep training hard, T'Naga," she said, "May the laws of science keep you strong."

T'Naga shook Niona's hand, and said, "Thank you, ma'am."

"T'Naga, take care of my daughter," she said, "I want her back strong."

"I will, ma'am," T'Naga said.

Karen hugged T'Nalia, and said, "I miss you and love you so much."

"We will visit every couple of months now," Niona said. "Oh. The General took the bracelet design, and now they're a part of the intelligence officer's uniform."

When the Colonel and Lieutenant Colonel left Karen and T'Naga practiced with the wooden swords on the beach. They were with a group of the other ladies, and the clickety clack of the swords lasted for hours. The ladies were mastering their techniques because the realization that the end of the training was real. The ladies switched partners every ten minutes to learn new styles. After she finished her training session, everybody except for her went to prepare for dinner. She walked along the beach for a while, and saw her reflection in the salty water. She hadn't realized the amount of attrition she had gone through until she saw her reflection. She knew her body wasn't desirable to the opposite sex because she wasn't curvaceous like the Colonel. Even Niona had curves, and she was thinner than the Colonel. She laughed. The Colonel didn't have any fat on her, but all the Nalias were curvey women: small waist, firm arms, and round hips.

Karen and T'Naga sat at the dinner table, and ate their fill of whale blubber in a white, tangy noodle sauce. It was really good, but she realized the food wasn't enough to sustain her weight or give her the curves she desired. When Christine walked by, she said, "I need more calories to keep up my weight."

"We can give you a quarter more food to eat, but I would suggest you include weight lifting in your struggle for the curvaceous body. Wider shoulders, a small waist, and the right attitude will melt a man's heart," she said.

"Thank you, sister," T'Naga said.

She had been on the Island for nearly fifteen months, and she didn't know about the nice, state of the art gymnasium on the small island. She had seen the buildings on the other side, but she never desired to visit it. She and Christina swam to the other side, and walked into the gym. They walked inside of the facility, and it had several treadmills, a litany of weights, and cow bells. There were several women in the gym, but she didn't recognize them. It had been years since she had entered a gymnasium. Fitness was a thing on Doraxia, but sports was a rarity. The Doraxian people placed education above sports, and it wasn't merely words they would say. There hadn't been a sports match on Doraxia since the Grays died off. They were the ones fueling the sports industry with Blues who had been beaten mentally throughout their young lives.

T'Naga walked over to a machine that had the weight bar locked in it. She placed some small weights on either side, and followed the instructions on the wall. Up and down she went until she had a nice burn on her bottom, and then she repeated the process. She loved working out, but she didn't want to over do it on the first day. She had spent an hour on the leg weights, and when she went to swim back to the other Island, she immediately realized it wasn't going to happen. Her legs throbbed. Christina had already swam back to the other side, but T'Naga had to use the power of her ring. When she returned, it was right at lunchtime, and she gobbled down as much food as possible. She felt Karen watching her eat.

"What?" T'Naga asked.

"You're gobbling down your food like somebody is going to steal it," she said.

"Lifting weights has increased my appetite," she said.

On the the last months of the third year, Karen turned eleven-years-old, and her hair was long, healthy, and shiny. The sun had darkened her skin a few shades, and her eyebrows were thick and black. She was strong for an eleven-year-old child, and was quick with the sword. T'Naga looked like a blue, fitness model, and she kept her hair in the ascetic, bowl cut, long in the back, and straight. Her body had changed from a skinny, no-shaped stick woman to a somewhat muscular, curvacious fitness woman. She didn't have narrow hips anymore; they were curvy and strong, and when she talked, she had a commanding voice. Her gait was one of a dignified woman with a royal background.

T'Naga sat on the beach in her two piece bathing suit; her blue skin sparkled in the sunlight, and she was ready for her first duty station. It was her last day on Paradise Island, and Karen cried for the whole week leading up to the day of T'Naga's departure. The sun had baked her soft blue skin to a tenebrous color. She was like a walking piece of art because of all the weight lifting and exercising. She was stationed on the Demon, and she was the commander over Alpha Company. When Niona picked her up, it was in the Demodectic, and it was a much faster ship since the new design.

She had to force Karen to see her off, and that they would cross paths a million times because they were both in the General's inner circle. The General had been promoted to a three star, and it was a big thing all over Doraxia. She had missed the actual ceremony. When Niona landed on Paradise Island, Karen barely hugged T'Naga back, and it caused her to cry.

"I thought we were sisters," T'Naga said.

"We are," Karen said, "I'm just sadden that you're leaving me."

"I have to," she said, "In two years, you'll be back on the Demon."

"Yeah. Only for a year then six years of college," she said, "My life is all training."  
"As is mine, but isn't it the life of Yellow Lanterns?" She asked.

Karen made a grimace, and then hugged T'Naga, and the Doraxian climbed aboard the Demodectic.

"Lieutenant, once we pick up the guys we'll be in Doraxian space in thirty minutes," she said.

"That's faster than before, ma'am," T'Naga said.

"It's been three years," Niona said, "We have second generation tech now. It's much faster."

When the Demodectic left Earth's orbit, a black hole opened, and the ship flew into it, and came out on the other side. When T'Naga looked up, she could see Doraxia in the distance, and the Demon orbiting around the planet. There were several large vessel patrolling the sector, and she saw two Joradic vessels flying around the area.

"This has all changed," T'Naga said. "I never thought this would happen."

"You guys can take a two week respite before reporting for duty," she said. She flew the ship into the Demon's bay, and there were about fifteen Lantern vessels in it. When Niona and her exited the Demodectic, she tapped the side of a black ship, and said, "The is your baby. It's fast and maneuvers like a dream."

"This is all mine?" T'Naga asked.

"Yes. As soon as you sign out, you're on leave," she said. "Take your ship, and go visit loved ones."

She showed the other five guys their ships, and they were equally surprised.

Niona assumed command of the Demon while the General was in his room working on his thesis for The immobilizer ray. The Colonel was on world with Raydon visiting her parents, and she had a week left on her respite. She hadn't developed a rapport with her new bridge staff, and still had a longing for Captain Diggle and Karen Knight; they were all in school or training on Earth. She sat in the Command Chair, and Captain D'um T'Larty was on communications. He was a large, out-of-shape Doraxain who the General put on the overweight program as soon as he came on board the Demon. The General said that the Old Guard will meet height and weight standards before the end of the first year or he'd kick them out of the military.

Captain D'um T'Larry had a large, square head, and was balding in the middle; he was an older man, a man who spent nearly ten years in the military. His voice was gentle, but deep, and he spent a lot of time in the lounge after work. He had narrow eyes, and thick, overbearing eyebrows to the point that the General asked Niona to scrub the regulations for proper eyebrow length. It was no secret that the General had a problem with the Old Guard, and it was because they skirted the regulations and didn't try to meet the standard. When the Old Guard went to the rifle range on Zaar to test out the targets, he left them there until they all qualified. They were on ground for three weeks, and the General would send in nothing but water and the Old Guard military rations that everybody hated. They only had to hit thirty out of fifty targets to pass, and everybody kept getting scores like twenty one, fifteen, seventeen, and so on. So, the general took the ten that passed the test, and had them transporting food back and forth to the flunkies, and set up an entire sleeping area in the rear of the range. The General accused them of failing on purpose so he said that he would keep them all on the range until they all qualified or died.

After three weeks, Niona picked up the soldiers, and said, "I wouldn't look at the General when you're back on the Demon."

"Yes, ma'am," Captain D'um T'Larry said. "I lost fifteen pounds living off those rations."

"Good for you," Niona said, "If the General notices, he might actually smile."

"Why is he so angry?" Captain D'um T'Larry asked.

"What's your degree in?" Niona asked.

"I have a doctorate in physics," he said.

"Have you ever used your doctorate for the betterment of Doraxia?" Niona asked.

He paused for a moment. "No. I've never used it at all."

"That's why he's upset," she said, "There are too many PhDs with no skills in their respective fields. He needs knowledgeable people on his team, and not a bunch of sham artists." She turned around in her seat, and watched the first squad climb onto the shuttle. "The flight is only ten minutes. We're stacked in here, so brace yourself."

One of the other members on the bridge was Captain Iona T'Nee. She wore her hair in braids, and it was a style from the ascetics that was approved in the manual called Military Blue Codes For Garrison Dress (MBCFGD). T'Nalia had the Captains on Vitic work on the manual, and then they submitted their work to her, she compiled the manual into precise instructions. When Jimmy saw it, the manual didn't have the ascetic hairstyles in it, and he told them to rewrite it, and if they left out the styles for the ascetics, he'd come to Vitic, micromanage the entire project, and then fire their asses. In addition, he sent out three memorandums on military manuals, and demanded that the Officers documented every aspect of the ships. If a lever had to be pulled or a button had to be pushed, it had better have documentation on it.

"Colonel, do you think the General is being too hard on the Old Guard?" Captain T'Nee said. "There's a manual on ships' levers."

"He's big on documentation," she said, "Soldiers won't always know the proper technique, but they will have the manual on their palm computers. It's his command to do as he chooses."

"Yes, ma'am," She said.

"As far as his treatment of the Old Guard, I think he will soften in time, but for now, he wants the Military Blue Standard. He believes in brains over bronze, but a soldier must have enough bronze to meet the needs of the military. If I gave you a fitness test, Captain T'Nee, could you pass?"

"I'd struggle on the pullups, but I think the push-ups and run would be in my favor," she said.

"The ascetics always do well," Niona said. "It's their diets."

On the monitor was Captain T'Dunn, a young man who grew up on Vitic, and was familiar with the ships. He had played in the shipyards as a child, and had always dreamed of the ships flying again.

"Captain T'Dunn, what are your feelings about the General's work?" Niona asked.

"To be on the Demon is the greatest feeling in the world, ma'am," he said, "I feel safer knowing we have a General who has a Doraxia first attitude."

"Me too," Niona said. "He believes in a strong military."

"I think he cemented my love when he asked that reporter if he read T'Naga's journals," he said, "As doctorates, it's our duty to read the material before we give our opinions."

"Yeah. The General is dismayed over the amount of PhDs without a coherent thesis on file," he said, "He wants the best PhDs on Doraxia working on his Praxis project, and he's only found a plethora of sham artists."

Suddenly, Niona's head tingled for a moment, and then she felt Jimmy's telepathic thought. "Come to my room."

"Yes, sir," she said telepathically. "What's this about?"

"Just to chat," he said telepathically.

"Captain D'um T'Larty , you have the bridge," She said.

"Yes, ma'am," he said.

When she entered into Jimmy's hovel, the bed was made, but he had wadded paper all over the floor. He looked like a madman as he sat on the far side of the room. It was a rarity that anybody used paper on Doraxia, but he must have ordered some at some point.

"Where are you at on this project?" She asked.

"I need a device that immobilizes everybody in an entire area," he said telepathically. "It doesn't kill them or hurt them in anyway, but it allows for our scientists to move around them, and collect data undetected."

"Is this a weapon?" She asked telepathically.

"No," he whispered telepathically. He stood up, walked over to her, and gently touched her cheek. It caught her off guard because he hadn't ever done that in the past. She knew what it meant, even though it wasn't the custom of her people, the Neonotiums. "I will figure out how to immobilize people, so our scientists can document them without interfering with their society."

"In the past, the Doraxians only contacted advance races," she whispered telepathically.

"When it comes to a cultural exchange, I think we can only contact races who have moved past religions," he whispered telepathically, "Our advance technology would seem godlike to primitives."

"Can we speak freely for a moment, sir?" She asked telepathically.

"You're always welcomed to speak freely to me, Niona," he said telepathically. "We're the only people on the ship who speak like this."

"I had a dream last night," she whispered telepathically, "It was you and me playing with our five children." She paused for a moment, "All of T'Nalia's kids were grown, and I remember raising them..."

"Why are you worried with that?" Jimmy whispered telepathically.

"What did you do?" She said loudly.

Jimmy walked over to her, and he placed his hands on her face, and then she pulled away from him. They wore similar, skin tight uniforms that clung to their bodies. She came up to his chest, and when he held her, her face was buried in his chest. She walked over to the wall, and placed her left hand on it. When Jimmy came up behind her, she tried to walk away from him, but he held her in place, and wouldn't let her walk away.

She whispered telepathically, "Tell me, Jimmy. If you love me, you'll tell me what you did because that dream was real."

He walked over to the bed, and said, "I'm frightened to tell you." He had tears streaming down his face. "You won't love me if you saw what I did."

"Show me," she said with tears rolling down her face. "Show me what you did, Jimmy."

He looked at her for a moment, and picked her up with his telekinetic powers, and laid her on the bed next to him. He placed her underneath his body, and kissed her sensually, and she kissed him back. "It may be my only real kiss from you after this," he said telepathically.

"Just do it," she whispered telepathically.

She laid underneath the man who would become her husband, and he gently pressed his head against hers. A white glow poured out of his mind, and went into hers, and she tensed up, and then her body went completely limp.

Alternative Timeline:

Niona flew down to her abode; it was a quaint cottage on Praxis surrounded by a group of other cottages. It had a white picket fence, and everybody was scientists and officers under the General. When she opened the door, Jimmy stood in the middle of the room waiting for her. It was a humble home, a modest home that didn't take up much real estate. He had some Madi meat cooking on the stove, cabbage, and pip eggs, and when she took a whiff, she said, "It smells delicious." She smiled. "Where's the boys?" She asked.

"I sent them to Doraxia," he said, "The T'Nalias have been asking to see their grandkids everyday."

She paused. "Shouldn't we make the decision together?"

Jimmy smirked. "Are we married now?" He asked.

"I don't know what to call this," she mumbled. "We're a couple without being a couple. I love you more than myself, but we sleep apart. I've offered you my body, but you don't want it."

Jimmy paused. He walked over to the stove, and stirred the cabbage. On the far wall, a picture of T'Nalia and the kids hanged on the wall. "T'Nalia's been dead for three Doraxian years," he said, "Maybe it's time to move on." He looked back at her for a moment. "It seems like the right time."

She sat on the edge of the sofia, and she had grown accustomed to the sleeping arrangements. She pulled at her orange hair, and then her countenance changed. "What are you saying, Jimmy?" She asked. She sighed. "Are you in search of another Blue, a human, or what? What do you want?"

"You're purposely trying to be difficult," he said with a matter of factly look on his face. "You know exactly what I want."

"You've destroyed worlds, but you've never looked at me and said that you want me," she snapped.

"My love for you stretches over fifteen years," he said, "My heart is with you."

He placed his head against hers, and initiated the Neonotium's mating ritual when a telepathic connection was made. It scared Niona because she hadn't ever had sex, and the mating ritual devastated the women because the male thrusted all of his empathic energy into the female, and it caused every nerve ending to fire at once. She was more than capable of having sex like a human or Doraxian woman, and she had her doubts about Jimmy's knowledge on Neonotium mating practices, but he was off to a good start. She was so busy with the Sapphires that sex never came up, and then when she put all her energies into Jimmy, he was completely faithful to T'Nalia in mind, body, and soul.

"Hold on, Jimmy?" She asked. "Why are you doing the mating ritual like I'm twenty something?"

"When I said I loved you," he said, "I meant that I love you so much that I want children."

She squinted, and thought he had gone insane. "I'm forty-five, Jimmy," she said laughingly. She shook her head in disbelief. "I don't know about Kryptonians, but my baby-making days have come and gone." She folded her arms. "I had my last woman-time almost a year ago."

Jimmy paused for a moment, and turned off the heat on the food. He quickly made Niona a plate, and then asked her a question. "Why are you finding excuses?" He asked. "I'm sorry that it took so long to get over T'Nalia, but I loved both of you at the same time." He pointed at himself when he said, "I chose to refrain from being intimate with you.." He touched her face like she was a Doraxian woman. "I've always had a void in my life, and it was because we never consummated our love."

"But we can't go back, Jimmy," she said. "There's no way to redo what nature has done. You can't refit my baby making factory like it's one of your ships. You have a multitude of wives, and I've tolerated all of that. But to think I can give you children now..."

He laughed for a moment. "Have you ever asked yourself why I destroyed Oa?" He handed her the plate of food, and she ate a little before she answered.

She looked at him with a scowl for a moment. "Because they killed your beloved."

"No. It was because they destroyed her body," he said, "I begged those monsters to turn her over to me." A tear raced down his face, fell off his brown chin, and fell onto the floor. "They incinerated her just to wound me."

"What are you saying?" She asked. "She was gone, Jimmy. You're telling me you killed one hundred billion people with the Demon because of one death?"

"Jon Stewart told them to burn my beloved," he said, "Because he knew of my powers."

"What? It's common knowledge that you can kill with a mere touch," she said, "They burned her for that?"

"And I can restore life in the same way," he said, "I could have brought her back. I could have made her whole, Niona."

"You're serious?" She asked.

"Put down your plate, and let me hold you for a moment," he said. She walked over to him, and he grabbed her by the neck with one hand and around the waist with the other one. A golden glow encompassed her entire body, and Jimmy pushed his magnificent energy into her. She felt his energy flowing through her body, and it caused screams of pleasure. Her body gyrated in his arms, and then she went limp for a second. Upon regaining consciousness, she sat back on the couch.

Niona, stood up, straightened her clothes, and walked over to the middle of the room, looked at her ring hand, and said, "My hands look so young." She felt her face, and ran into the bathroom to look at it. "What the?" She ran back to the living room, and said, "It's like I'm twenty."

Jimmy didn't say anything at all about her looks. Niona felt a draft for a moment, and when she looked down at her body, she was completely nude.

"Jimmy, what are you doing?" She asked.

She tried to cover her emerald colored breast with the right hand and her vagina with the left, but Jimmy blocked her from doing so. He used his telekinetic powers, and stretched her slender arms out to the side.

"My thirst for you is at its zenith," he whispered to her telepathically. "I want our minds and bodies swirled together." He pressed her against the wall. She was wide-eyed and feared him to a certain degree. She didn't know what to expect from the ritual because she hadn't ever done it in her life. Niona's people, the women in particular, attached themselves to one mate for life, and for her, Jimmy was her chosen mate. She had never wanted another one, but at the same time, she feared him when he wasn't considerate of her wants and needs. Jimmy's clothing fell off his body and then he flew up to her, fully erect and threatening.

"Jimmy, you're frightening me," she whispered telepathically.

He placed the back of his left hand against her emerald, right cheek. He ran his fingers through her orange hair, and she tensed up a little. "We've been through wars together, and you never flinched."

"I had on clothes then," she said with a forced smile.

"Your body is beautiful," he smirked. "Your baby making factory is turned on."

Gently, he pressed his head against hers, and a beam of white light protruded out of his frontal lobe. It slowly penetrated Niona's forehead, and her entire body tensed up, and she made a loud whiny noise that was piercing. It didn't stop the process at all. In fact, he slowly increased the intensity of the light until she climaxed. Her entire body convulsed, and then Jimmy said, "You're almost ready for the insemination." When the luciferous beam surrounded her, she gently bit her bottom lip, and moaned. At that point, he thrusted his empathic energies through her mind, and manipulated her sensory glands. Her breath was heavy. Her hands tried to push Jimmy back, but he wasn't relenting. When he felt her vagina throbbing, he knew it was time for insemination. He kept pressure on her sensory glands, and she repeatedly climaxed. When he inserted his manhood into her, Niona and Jimmy wrestled in mid-air. She became aggressive like a feral cat, and Jimmy continued to massage her mind. Repeatedly, he caused her to climax when he infused her with his mental energies for the fourth time, and he had to wipe the tears from her face.

"This is too much," she complained.

"Just a little longer," he whispered telepathically. "I promise."

After that, he injected her with his empathic powers for the fifth and last time, and then every cell in her body screamed with joyous pain. She went into convulsions, and then he inseminated her with a full load of his DNA. Her body was so overwhelmed by the Neonotium's mating ritual that she continued to convulse madly on the couch. The thrashing about worried her because she couldn't control it. She shuddered. She suffered with the mental and physical aftermath of the ritual for almost two weeks, and she had to take a respite from the Demon.

She laid in Jimmy's bed, and she felt overwhelmed by what Jimmy had done to her. Her body hurt all over, and it had to do with the insemination process. After it was all said and done, she could still feel him inside of her head, and she kept asking him, "Are you using telepathy on me?"

"No," he said. "It's because of the ritual."

"All I can think about is you," she mumbled. She pulled the blanket up to her neck, and continued to shudder. "It was so scary." She laid back on the bed, and looked up at the ceiling. "Why did you do the ritual?"

Jimmy sat on the chair next to his bed, and he only had on some underwear. "It increased the chance of a pregnancy," he said. "We'll know in a couple of weeks if it worked." Jimmy crawled in bed with her, and spooned with her nude body. She laid in his arms, and fell asleep for a few hours.

After she had the baby after seven months, Jimmy named him Terry McGinnis. He had curly hair with soft, brownish green skin. The Doraxian doctors said they should wait a few months before engaging in coitus, but Jimmy didn't want to wait that long. They had developed a healthy, sexual relationship during the pregnancy, and she learned how to relieve him in a multitude of ways. At times, her sexual appetite was just as insatiable as his. So, he laid across Niona, and healed her entire body because he wanted to start on the next child. All the soreness from the birth was gone, and her body snapped back into place.

When Jimmy finished with his respite, he asked Niona to join him on the Demon, and they traveled to Earth. She and Jimmy went through another mating ritual, and had another baby. Jimmy called the child Bruce. While traveling around the universe, Jimmy and Niona would perform the mating ritual eight more times, and she gave birth to all his kids.

Niona, Jimmy, and the kids traveled to Doraxia, and played on the large waterslides in Glassco. It was the best time in Niona's life. She loved him so much that she could barely stand to be apart from her husband. In her wildest dreams, she didn't think her life could be complete after so much death.

When Jimmy had his fifty-seventh birthday, he still looked as he did when he was twenty, and his love for Niona hadn't subsided one iota. He was going through some old files on the Demon, and a photo of the three of them popped up on the screen, and he smiled. Niona was on the other side of the room, and she asked, "What's wrong?"

"I did it all wrong," he lamented, "I've destroyed worlds." He paused for a moment. "I lost my T'Nalia. I've wiped out entire races."

"What are you saying?" She asked. She placed her hands on his face.

"I've killed billions," he said, "This isn't the universe I wanted, Niona." He was in their bedroom on the Demon, and they had just eaten breakfast. The kids were with Niona's family.

"But it's the Universe we have," she said. "It's not like you can have a redo." She smirked.

"I have to go back," he said. "With the power of my ring, I can redo all of this."

"Jimmy. I love us." She made a circle motion with her right finger. "I love all of this." She wiped the tears from her face. "I love our children," she stressed. "Don't take away my kids, Jimmy."

"If I go back, we can do it right," he said, "Maybe you'll be my first."

She cried hard because she knew she couldn't change his mind. "I won't. She'll always be your first."

"T'Naga's journals say my love for you is just as strong as my love for her," he said, "I'm broken without the both of you."

She raised her ring hand to him, and prepared to fire. Her countenance had changed to bitterness. "I'll fight you for my kids."

"Let me do this, Niona. I beg you. We'll remake these kids in a better world."

"Terry is almost a man," she said, "How can you do this to our sons?"

Jimmy looked at her for a moment, and then everything went black.

End of Timeline

Niona screamed as loud as she could, and fell off the bed crying. When Jimmy looked at her, he tried to reach for her, but she shoved his hand away. "You're a monster!" For an hour, she didn't say anything to him. She rocked back and forth on the floor, and sobbed. "How did I forget everything that mattered?"

"I took it away from you," he said, "If I couldn't stand what I had done, then I knew you wouldn't be able to."

"Shouldn't that be my choice, Jimmy?" She asked. "I hate you," She screamed. Suddenly, she started crying so hard that she couldn't breathe. She was holding her chest, and her body was palpitating. "You hurt me, Jimmy."

He was crying too, and crawled off the bed, and held her.

"You took my kids from me, Jimmy. They were so precious," she said.

He covered his face for a moment, and said telepathically, "Don't tell T'Nalia about this."

"I should tell her everything," she said telepathically, "But I won't." She stood up for a moment, and sat next to him. "You killed all of our kids," she lamented, "Don't you feel anything?"

"I didn't find out until the Demon reached Earth," he whispered mentally. He touched her on the cheek, and then said, "I would have never done what he did."

She sat on his lap, and said, "I'm not happy with this." She began crying again, and she had to say it telepathically. "I'm a complete mess now."

He gently placed his head against hers, and as soon as she felt the tingle, she put up a series of mental images. It was a stop sign, a picture of a pip, a picture of a cat, and then a picture of a dog. It pushed Jimmy right out of her mind. She then felt another tingle, and she immediately put up a picture of a house, a boat, her old ship, and then she said, "Don't kill the memory of our children."

"I just want to stop your pain," he said telepathically.

"No. I need it," she said, "Promise me, Jimmy. Promise me you won't take my memories."

"How can you love me after knowing what you know?' He asked.

She kissed him on the forehead, and said, "I will always love you." She kissed him on the lips, and then said, "I'm wounded by all of this, Jimmy." She hugged him, and he buried his face in her bosom. He gently picked her up, laid her on the bed, and kissed her passionately. Her lips were soft and enjoyable, and in the back of his mind, he wanted to beat himself for making a comparison between her and T'Nalia, but in reality, there wasn't anything to compare. Niona had her own smells and idiosyncrasies that he enjoyed, and when it came to T'Nalia, she had a different scent that was equally pleasant. Their black Lantern uniforms were in harmony; it was hard to tell where he ended and she began. He sat her up, pulled off her top, undid her bra, and she looked vulnerable to him. There wasn't anything sensual about their performance. Niona folded her arms over her bare breast, and it bothered him. He didn't want to be forceful, but he didn't want her covering her beauty.

He asked her telepathically, "Why are you covering your breast?" Apprehensively, she dropped her hands to her side, and she looked like innocents stolen. "How long have you loved me?" He asked.

She looked up at him for a moment, and said telepathically, "As far back as I can remember." He gently pulled off her pants, folded them, and laid them on the end of the bed. She watched his every move, and felt a little nervous about the moment. "I'm frightened, Jimmy." She put her knees up to her chest, and looked like a slender, well built emerald colored woman.

"You're with me, Niona," he whispered telepathically. He kissed her on the lips, softly traced her lips with his mouth.

"It's just," she paused for a moment. "I've had dreams of this moment, but I've never had the moment." Her orange hair was wild, and he gingerly stretched her out on the bed, and he immediately noticed she was stiff like a board. He looked down her body, and her pubic hairs were wild, but he enjoyed it.

"Are you okay?" He whispered telepathically. "If you're not comfortable…"

"I'm nervous," she said telepathically. "I feel like I might make a mistake."

Jimmy laughed. "As long as you don't die, we're good."

"I can die?" She asked.

He wiggled between her legs, and they felt good against his skin. He pulled her into him, and then he stopped for a moment. "I'm going to stimulate you telekinetically," he said, "It will prepare you."

"Okay," she said.

He massaged her vulva with his telekinetic powers, and she became aroused. Once she was on the verge of exploding. he entered her, and she palpitated underneath his masculine frame. He crawled off her, and held her until the next morning. When he awoke, T'Nalia was waking them up.

"Get dressed, guys," she said, "It's breakfast time."

Niona jumped off the bed, and grabbed her clothes. "Sorry, ma'am." She felt ashamed, but she knew T'Nalia approved.

T'Nalia looked at her for a moment, and said, "Calm down, Colonel."

"I was startled," she said.

Jimmy hopped off the bed, and used his ring, and donned his Lantern uniform. He placed his right hand on T'Nalia's face, and she did the same to him. "Did Raydon have a good time?"

"He wanted to stay with his Papa," she said, "I think he wants to run his farm business."

Jimmy laughed. "It will be his choice."

"Well, I need to check on the bridge?" Niona said. "Welcome back, ma'am."

Niona went to the bay, and T'Naga flew into the bay with her new ship, and then she gave her protoge a hug. "How was your respite?"

"Quite uneventful," she said, "I sold my abode, and now I am ready to explore the galaxy."

T'Nalia and Niona walked to the bridge, and the General was in the command chair. As soon as he saw, T'Naga, he nodded to Niona.

Niona's countenance changed, and then she said, "Bridge, attention!"

"Lieutenant T'Naga, post," the General said.

Niona picked up a piece of paper attached to her Operations post, and said, "By the orders of the Federation of Yellow Lanterns, Lieutenant Checha T'Naga, you are hereby promoted to the rank of Captain. Ordered by the Federation of Yellow Lanterns and signed by General Jimmy McGinnis Commanding."

The General pulled off her Lieutenant rank, and then placed on her Captain bars. She saluted him, and then he saluted back. He then shook her hands, and all the other officers patted her on the back.

When T'Naga left out of the room, she overheard the Colonel say, "Lieutenant Colonel, she's your personal project. You have to make sure she can block powerful telepaths like the General."

"Yes, ma'am," she said.

The idea of blocking a mind like the general scared her because he was so powerful. He was far more than a mere telepath; he accessed different parts of the brain to control bodily functions and mood; but at the same time, he often said a level five blocker could circumvent the strongest of telepaths. Unfortunately, she only scored a level five on one test, but Niona thought she had the ability for a consistent score of a five. On the other hand, Niona was powerful too, because she had formal training in manipulating the mind, and according to the General, she was way beyond a level five.

She was on the first floor of the ship, and she stood in front of her soldiers, and briefed them on what she expected of them. As the new commander of Alpha company, she signed for the parasitic vessel called the Taenia, and once it attached onto an enemy ship, it had the ability to drain it of power and control different systems on the ship. She plopped the maintenance manual on the floor along with several other manuals on the ship's functions, and then said, "Every last one of you will know every aspect of the Taenia," she ordered, "This ship will save our lives when the crew knows how it works."

"Yes, ma'am," the troops said in unison. She looked at a male soldier named T'Nalia, and asked, "Are you any kin to the Colonel?"

"She's my cousin," he said proudly.

"You won't receive any special attention," she said. "This goes for everybody. Make sure you use your chain of command. We'll try to handle everything on the company level before we take it to the Lieutenant Colonel. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, ma'am!" Her soldiers said in unison.

She looked over at her XO who was a frumpy Blue woman. She stood approximately five-foot four inches, and a wide backside. Her beige uniform was noticeably tight because she hadn't purchased new ones since the weight gain.. Her hair was unnaturally blond, and it bothered Captain T'Naga when she first saw it. She looked over at her XO, and said, "The MBCFGD is specific about dyed hair. If my XO isn't adhering to the Military Blue Codes For Garrison Dress, then how can I expect the enlisted to adhere to it?"

"Yes, ma'am," she said, "Captain T'Pom didn't mind."

"Obviously," she said, "You understand I'm a Yellow Lantern, and I follow the General's orders down to the last word. How far out of regulations are you according to the Obesity Check Program (OCP)?"

"About thirty pounds," she said, "I"m working on it."

"What does working on it mean?" Captain T'Naga asked.

"I'm eating healthy," she said.

"Eat less, XO," she said. She paused for a moment, and then said, "Tomorrow I will have your initial counseling statements ready. Oh. Your scores on the firing range are pathetic. If you're not used to meeting the standards, life will be painful for you."

"I'm going to need time to adjust to these new rules," she said.

"New? I'm talking regulations, Lieutenant," she snapped. "You do understand we live and die by our training?"

"Yes, ma'am," she said.

Captain T'Naga walked into an office on the first floor, and the XO had a desk in the front room. Top's office was connected to the Captain's office. She had a holder for her palm computer on her desk, and it connected directly into a widescreen monitor. She walked into the XO's office, and said, "Something is bothering me," she said.

"What's wrong, ma'am?" She asked.

"During my little speech, I noticed Sixth Classmen T'Mida smiling at you," she said calmly. "Are you two having an illicit affair?"

The XO looked down at the floor for a moment. "It just happened a few times," she mumbled.

The Captain sighed. "Do you know what LAR means?" She asked.

"Leadership and Respect," she said, "The manual that discusses the General's expectations of his leaders."

"Who are the other enlisted soldiers on your fuckbuddy list?" She asked. "Don't bother lying either."

"Almost all the day crew," she said, "Including the girls. We dabble a bit."

"If you have relations with another lower enlisted, I will have you court martialed and thrown in prison," she said, "That's from the General directly through me to you."

"The General knows?" She asked.

"He's a telepath, you idiot," T'Naga said, "He told me what you were doing."

"You're thirty pounds overweight. You can't fire a weapon. You're sleeping with two companies." She shook her head in disbelief. "I thought the General was exaggerating when he displayed his dismay with the Old Guard."

"Yes, ma'am," she said.

She slid a tablet computer to her, and said, "I need your signature on this counseling statement. The General wrote this one, and everything we discussed on fraternization is in it." She waited for her signature, and then she said, "You'd have to work hard just to be a dirtbag, XO."

The XO started sobbing.

"Unless you're crying from crotchrot, you best wipe those tears from your face, and get the hell out of my office," she snapped, "Get your shit together, XO."

The XO stood, and saluted the Captain, but the Captain didn't return a salute.

"I only salute soldiers. Get the fuck out of my office, and send Top in here," she ordered.

Top was an older Doraxian male by the name of Vincent T'Rae. He had a narrow face, and small eyes, and about two days of razor stubble on his face. He had a wide nose with one thick connected eyebrow. His mustache didn't meet the standard, and his stomach protruded over his waistline. The beige uniform fit loosely on his body, and he looked unkempt to a certain degree. Before he even took a seat in the Captain's office, she said, "You fucking my XO?"

He paused for a moment, and had a look of disbelief on his face. "Wait? What did she say?"

"It's not important what she said," she said in her command voice. "I'm asking you a question, and I expect an honest answer."

"We were drinking Booshies and Kinzie's Cocktails, and a couple of us guys walked her to her abode afterwards," he said, "Next thing I know she wants us to test her mettle."

"What does that mean?" She asked with an inquisitive look.

"Anal," he quipped.

"Oh. Go ahead and sign this reprimand," she said, "When you're done, send in Seventh Classmen T'Raria." She paused. "The lounge is off limits for a month."

Later in the evening…

Niona and T'Naga had drinks at the lounge, and Niona was a bit tipsy. Her hair was a bowl cut in the front, long in the back, and she resembled the married ascetic women of Doraxia. She was nearly the doppleganger of T'Nalia except she had beryl skin. Almost every female soldier aboard the Demon had the same haircut, and it became the standard because of the Colonel's hair style. But at the same time, she thought Niona's hair style had more to do with her position to the General. He referred to her as his Second.

"I read E'Da T'Naga's classified journals," T'Naga said. "Do you love the General like his journals claim?"

"We don't normally discuss this," she said softly. "Don't repeat any of this."

"Okay," T'Naga said. "I gave up the Sapphire Corp just to be the Second," she said.

"Does being the Second bother you?" T'Naga asked.

"The Second appears to be a name to him," she said, "He treats T'Nalia and I as equals."

"Do you love him?" She asked.

"With all my heart," she said, "We're always telepathically linked. We rarely talk verbally. It's all mental with him."

"How long have y'all been connected?" T'Naga asked.

"It's difficult to say," she said, "I left home at ten in search for him. He kept calling out to me every time he was in pain. He was calling me his sage."

"Wow," she said. "I saw you when you bowed to T'Nalia, and called her the wife of the Great Destroyer."

"Yeah. I would have gone with Jimmy at that point if he had asked me, but he told me to wait," she said, "He told me he needed me well trained before I came on his team."

"You're like trained now," she said.

"Oh yeah. I spent the next five years training every day," she said.

"Do y'all fight?" She asked.

Niona laughed. "Yes. All families fight," she said

'You told me the General was interested in me," she said.

"Yes. I'm sure you feeling the pain of that," Niona said laughingly. "He wants you to clean up Alpha Company to prove you can handle stress."

"Did you know about them?" She asked.

She laughed. "The General confined me to my hovel because I wanted to throw your XO out the bay door."

"She knows the regs, but bucks them," she said, "She knew every regulation she violated."

"We're working on ways to change their behavior," Niona said, "The fraternization is widespread in the Old Guard."

She had a few more Booshies at the lounge, and T'Naga offered to escort her to her abode, but she said, "That's okay. The General will do that. It was the first time that she had seen the LTC drunk, and she was a quiet one at that. In some ways, she wondered if she was dealing with some personal pain, but if that was the case, she didn't say anything about it. Before she finished her drink, the General walked into the lounge. The way he touched her face told a million and one stories. She knew he loved her, but the way he placed his hand against her cheek was more than mere love. He had done the same thing to T'Nalia, and only a few men had the ability to love two women equally. He gently picked the LTC up, carried her out of the drink-joint, and T'Naga thought he was the most romantic man in the world.

The next morning,,,,

The General, Colonel, and LTC walked in the dining facility, and T'Naga said, "At Ease." It was an acknowledgement of the General's presence, and since everybody was eating, she said "At Ease" instead of "Attention." They sat apart from the rest of the crew, and seemed to enjoy each other's company. The LTC and General talked to the Colonel directly, but never to each other verbally. However, she knew they were speaking to each other constantly, but it didn't seem to bother the Colonel.

When T'Naga finished up with her sweet coffee, she noticed Lieutenant T'Higgins walk into the dining facility, and she looked raggedy. It was so bad that she walked up to her, and asked if everything was okay.

"Why is your uniform unkempt?" She asked.

"I had a rough night," she said, "A lot of pressures."

"If you need to see a counselor, I can give you a referral."

"That's okay, ma'am," she said.

T'Naga watched her walk away with her tray, and thought her XO might be having a mental breakdown. It worried her because she had to depend on her for several perfunctory task. She realized she was going to have to depend on her Seventh Classmen more because her XO wasn't up for the job. It had been nearly four, Doraxian months since she assumed command of Alpha Company, and LT T'Higgins had grown progressively worse. She left her wrist communicator in the Taenia, and was out of reach for two hours. T'Naga wrote her up for her lack of awareness, and losing her communicator.

Later in the morning she inspected her parasitic, Lantern Ship that she secretly named the Blue Bug. The vessel didn't have any identifying markers, and the Lanterns were authorized to destroy the machines if captured by the enemy. The General deemed the Transwarp technology so secretive that they never spoke of it outside their circles. The technology was innate to the craft, and wasn't removable like the tech on the parasitic shuttles. She had to maintain her flight status by going on three, two-hour inspections a week. Once she received clearance from the bridge, she flew past Doraxia, and traveled all the way to Joradic Prime in a matter of seconds.

She heard what sounded like a hot-mike, and then a voice came over her radio. It was a higher pitched, feminine voice that she didn't recognize. It sounded like it was in distress. "General T'McGinnis, this is Neva of Neo Star."

"Go ahead, Neva," the General said.

"We're under attacked by two Lantern Battlecruisers," she said, "They've kidnapped Princess Niona Iobi."

"Did she say Niona?" T'Naga said.

"There must be a mistake," Niona said, "I'm Niona Iobi, and I'm with General T'McGinnis right now."

"All parasitic vessels, report back to the Demon immediately," the General said.

When T'Naga reported to the bridge, she walked over to the LTC, and said, "What's going on?"

"I have no idea," she said, "I'm Princess Niona Iobi," she said, "There's an impostor."

"Well, I'm taking control of this situation," The General said. "Captain T'Naga, made sure all parasitic vessels are ready to be deployed."

"Yes, sir," she said.

The General sat in his Command Chair, and said, "Captain T'Nee, man the weapons."

"Yes, sir," she said.

"Computer, warmode," The General commanded.

"Warmode on," the computer said.

He clicked on his wrist communicator, and said, "Are the parasitic vessels ready?"

"Yes, sir," Captain T'Naga said.

"Computer, activate the transwarp drive, and lock a course for Neo Star."

"Yes, sir," the Computer said.

Within a few seconds, a black hole opened up in front of the Demon, and when it went through it, it was about two hundred thousand miles from Neo Star, and there was seven Battlecruisers attacking Neo Star's ship.

"Captain T'Larry, put me in contact with the lead Lantern ship," he ordered.

"You're linked in now, sir," Captain T'Larry said.

"This is General T'McGinnis of the Doraxian Military. Who am I speaking with?"

"Deploy the parasitic vessels," T'Nalia said over the intercom. "Gorilla Attack Pattern Alpha, and then wait for further instructions."

"This is Commander Vance of the Green Lantern Corp. Stay out of this, General," he said.

"You do understand an attack on Neo Star is an attack on Doraxia?" He asked.

"Princess Niona Iobi is a fugitive from justice," he said, "And we're bringing her in."

The General paused for a moment, and scanned all the ships telepathically until he found the Neonotium mind, and to his amazement, the pitiable creature's brain waves felt like his LTC's mind. He looked back at Niona, and whispered to her mentally, "Can you feel her mind?"

"Yes, this is impossible," she whispered mentally.

He click on his wrist communicator, and then said, "Captain T'Naga, attach your ship to the lead vessel."

"Yes, sir," she said.

"Commander Vance, release your prisoner into my custody," he said.

"No. Besides, she doesn't want to go with you," he said, "She's deathly afraid of you."

The General looked back at his wife, and she immediately said, "All parasitic vessels attach."

"Let's do this again, Commander?" The General asked. "Release the Princess into my custody or I will turn your ships against you."

He laughed loudly into his communications device, and it upset the General. He clicked on his wrist communicator, and then said, "T'Naga, increased the temperature of his vessel by thirty degrees."

"Yes, sir," she said, "Increasing temperature."

"Commander, it's about to get seriously warm on your ship," the General said. He looked back at his wife for a moment.

"Parasitic vessels, drain them," she ordered.

"Not you, T'Naga," the General said.

Suddenly, all the ships except for one went completely dark.

"What did you do?" The Commander screamed.

"You're pretty much running solo, Commander. Now, you hand Niona over to my Captain or we'll destroy your fleet."

"You think the Lantern Corp will allow you to keep meddling in Lantern business?" He asked.

"Why do you have Niona in your custody?" The General asked.

"Future crimes," he said, "Why is it so damn hot?"

"I'm about to destroy one of your ships," the General said.

"She doesn't want to go with you, General," he said.

"I'm coming over, Commander," the General said.

"Jimmy. Is that protocol?" T'Nalia asked.

"I scanned her brain, and it feels like Niona," he said.

"Niona's right here," T'Nalia said.

"I believe she's our Niona from another dimension, and she's frightened," he said. He looked over at his LTC, and asked, "Can you feel her fear?"

"Yes, sir," she said.

The General walked up to his wife, and placed his right hand on her left cheek, and said, "I have to do this."

"I know," she said. She placed her hands on his cheeks. He then walked over to Niona, and did the same thing. He hopped in his parasitic vessel, and flew to the head Battlecruiser. He docked with the ship, and walked inside of it, and an entire Lantern entourage met him at the door. They had their power rings on him like they wanted to shoot him.

"Are you prepared for this fight?" The General asked.

"We're not afraid of you," the head Lantern said. "We took care of Sinestro and we'll take care of you."

Jimmy paused for a second, and then simultaneously massaged their brains, and they all passed out on the floor. He walked over their bodies, through the hallways, and up to the bridge. When his feet stepped onto the deck of the bridge, the Commander took a defensive posture, and prepared to fire on the General.

"Kill him," Niona screamed.

Jimmy looked over at the woman who looked just like his Sage, and paused at the sight of her. When their eyes met, she began to scream for the Commander to keep him away from her. He had never seen anybody react to him like she did. Immediately, Jimmy caused all of the Lanterns on the bridge to pass out on the floor while he read Niona's thought. He quickly realized that she was a level zeron in mind manipulation, and that meant she couldn't have been a future or past iteration of his Sage. He quickly came to the conclusion that she was from an alternate Earth.

"Where are you from?" He asked telepathically. The Neonotium didn't respond to him, and then he manipulated her pariental lobe, and her body palpitated. She was covered in sweat, and her clothes stuck to her body. When her body gyrated back and forth, he noticed she didn't have a Lantern ring on any finger. Slowly, he walked over to her, and she tried to back away from him. When he touched her face, she fell to the ground crying and screaming.

"You killed them all," she said, "You destroyed Doraxia."

Jimmy picked her up with his telekinetic powers, and she was stretched out in front of him. He went into her mind, and read her true thoughts. He saw himself use the Demon to punch a hole through Doraxia, and the entire planet exploded. It was such a horrific thought that he didn't have the ability to entertain it. He then saw her attack him with the Blue Dragon, and he shot her out of the sky, but she survived. In the alternative universe, she didn't have a Lantern ring, and she wasn't trained in mind manipulation.

"How did you crossover to this universe?" Jimmy asked with a grimace on his face. Niona sat against the control panel wearing the attire of her homeworld. It was a black gown like dress, black bra, and black, skin tight underpants.

"I had a device that allowed me to crossover," she said. She folded her arms, and then said, "It's gone. It's all gone."

"Why don't you have control of your telepathic abilities?" He asked.

"It wasn't allowed," she said, "It was deemed against the law to use them."

"You're a leader of the resistance movement against my Doppleganger," he said, "How many soldiers do you have?"

"Don't know," she said, "He attacked us with the Demon, and killed hundreds of my men."

"Why did he attack Doraxia?" He asked.

"They tried to take his ship after he destroyed Oa," she said.

"But you were his ally," he said, "Why did you turn on him?"

She grimaced. "He killed children." She started crying. "I loved you, Jimmy."

"I'm not your Jimmy," he said.

"Don't you think I know that?" She asked. "I'm just saying. Jimmy has been traveling the galaxy killing anybody associated with the Lantern Corp."

"Is your Jimmy a telepath?" He asked.

"Yes," she said "He never taught you how to mentally block his telepathy?" He asked.

"No. That would have threatened him," he said.

Jimmy looked over at her, and injected his feelings into her, and she gasped. "I'm sorry. It's just I see my Niona when I look at you..."

"Well, I'm not her, and I don't want any feelings for you," she said.

"Niona, if you're incapable of deflecting, blocking, and circumventing mental attacks, you're not going to win the war," he said.

"Why would you help me?" She asked.

"Why wouldn't I?" Jimmy asked. "Your training will take about two years," he said, "Once you're finished, I can return you back to your 'verse, and you can train warriors to stand against Jimmy."

"What if I just stay on Neostar?" She asked.

""No," he said, "The Lanterns will attack you to get to me."

"What does it matter?" She asked.

"'Cause I feel your thoughts," he said, "You're on the same wavelength as my Second, and we're telepathically linked right now."

When the General and Niona-two left the ship, he ordered all the parasitic vessels back onto the Demon. He transferred Niona-two over to T'Naga, and then said, "Take her to Doraxia, and sign her up for the Lantern Officer Course." He looked at Niona. "My Second is asking you to change your name."

Niona paused for a moment. "I love my name." She walked up to Jimmy, and said, "Irita Niobi."

"My Second loves that name," he said. "She will work on your backstory, and transcripts from Neo Star." He turned to Captain T'Naga, and said, "Upon your return, Captain, we need to talk about some staffing issues," he said, "I can't have instability in leadership."

"Yes, sir," she said.

The next day…

The General laid his wife on their bed after she fell asleep at her desk. She and her LTC worked on Irita's paperwork well into the late night, and the General received hourly reports on the restoration of Neostar's three damaged ships. He had four robots from the Demon repairing Neostar's damage vessels. When T'Nalia awoke eight hours later, the General had a breakfast prepared for her, and she ate some Madi meat bacon, a pip egg, and a Booshi fruit.

"I can't tolerate Lieutenant T'Higgins' behavior any longer," he said. He lay next to his wife in the bed while she enjoyed her meal. He paused for a moment, and then said, "I'm thinking of sending her to Doraxia for an evaluation."

"What's wrong with the counselors on the ship?" She asked.

"She needs covert treatment," he said. "I don't want anybody knowing about her treatment. T'Rolo told me he had some people for my extreme cases."

"She's just a frumpy, out-of-shape officer, Jimmy. Why all the special treatment?"

"I can't afford to throw away one soldier," he said, "Not one. I have Niona and T'Naga escorting them to Glassco as we speak."

"What's the ETC on fixing Neostar's ships?" She asked.

"Two days," he said. "I need a Demon class ship monitoring this sector."

"You don't have a Colonel for the job," she said.

"I'm not willing to give you or Niona up, but I also have Colonel T'Lita Noir over the shipyard retiring."

"He's overdue," she said, "Like twenty years or so." She paused for a moment. "Jimmy, if you revitalize him than you must do the same for his wife."

"I can't afford to lose him at this time," he said. He paused for a moment.

"Just promote Captain T'Dank to Major, and give him the fighter class Demon ship," she said, "Then frock him to LTC."

"Are you serious right now?" Jimmy asked. "The fact that T'Dank wants me to give him command of the Dragon is unthinkable."

T'Nalia suddenly broke into laughter. "That's the nephew caught having sex with a Madi."

Jimmy was serious the whole time, and then said, "He was on Vitic when that happened. He's irresponsible."

"He was right out of the Academy then," she said.

"He'll get the Dragon, but I'm not giving him command of a Demon class ship," he said, "That would be madness on my part."

"Oh, Jimmy," She said, "You just want T'Naga commanding the Demon Fighter. Everybody sees the way you coddle her. You let the male officers live and die by their choices, but you have Niona ensuring the world sees T'Naga propitiously."

"I'm restoring the image of the Naga name," Jimmy said, "So, forgive me if that bothers you. Besides, she has the worst unit on the ship. I don't think that's pampering."

"You've had like ten counseling sessions with T'Naga. How many have you had with your other Captains?"

"Three," he said, "But it's because she will eventually command the Subterfuge." He kissed her on the lips, and then said, "You've always hated Checha."

"You know she once touched my cheek," she said cringingly. "City girls were touching each other's cheeks to express their interest in dabbling."

"What happened?" Jimmy asked.

"I knocked her the hell out," she said. "She lost two soft nights."

"You never told me that," he said.

"It's not like you needed to hear it," she said. She climbed out of bed, and placed her food tray on her desk. When she walked over to the bathroom, she nodded for him, and he walked over to her, and placed his hands on her face. Gently, he pulled off her clothes, and walked with her into the shower. The water hit her hair, poured onto her face, and down her curvaceous body, and then Jimmy kissed her soft lips passionately. He gently washed her body from head to toe, and it was a ritualistic practice with Doraxian couples. He knew every curve, every mark, and every abrasion on her entire body. Her heart had a distinct beat pattern that he learned through the years, and even when it came to the way she walked, he noticed. When he finished lathering up her sapphire colored body, he took the nozzle, and washed her off.

The shower had a bench installed in it, and because Doraxians liked warm temperatures, it also doubled as a sauna. Jimmy sat on the bench, and his manhood was at its apogee. She placed her arms in two straps that protruded from the ceiling, and gently sat on his wooden tower, and the ropes allowed her to ease on to it. Once she placed her vulva in a comfortable position, she gyrated on his flexible muscle hard and fast. It was raw. Over the years, she had learned to pound her husband hard and fast. When he climaxed, his entire body went into convulsions, and it took the vitality out of his elastic pride. She continued to sit on him until she felt his last throb, his last palpitation, and the breadth from his last whisper of "I love you."

For about thirty minutes, T'Nalia laid her head on her husband's bare lap while they sat in the warm shower. They were completely nude, and it was steamy. Jimmy placed his left hand on her stomach, and she gently caressed it.

"You know T'Lita Noir has no children?" T'Nalia asked.

"I had heard that," he said.

"His wife couldn't bear children," she said, "There was always a sadness about that because the science didn't work for her."

"If he chooses to allow me to restore his vitality, she'll end up pregnant at some point," he said.

"It's imperative that we convey that message to them," She said.

Back on the bridge...

The General sat in the Command Chair, and the Colonel stood next to him wearing the basic Lantern dress: black blouse, black skirt, and black boots. Her white tank-top t-shirt teased right below the unbuttoned top, button slot. She wore the black beret with the rank in the center. T'Nalia was notorious for designing practical clothing; it never sparkled or caught the common man's eye. The General loved T'Nalia's utilitarian designs, and because she was so conservative in her attire, one unfastened top button aroused him. The uniform had a white, tank top shirt underneath it, and she caught him gawking at her. She developed a half-cocked, mischievous smile, and then tapped him on the forehead.

"You like what you see?" She whispered playfully.

"There's closets all over this ship," he whispered.

"Jimmy. We're working," she said laughingly.

Niona stepped onto the bridge, and took the Monitoring Station, and looked into the visor. The General noticed her swollen eyes as soon as she entered the room, and that was when he realized she had severed her telepathic connection. He looked over at her, and tried to penetrate her mind, but she put up an image of their first born son. It caused a knot in his throat, and he didn't know what to say at that point. He tried to enter her mind with a series of attacks, and she put up images of all their kids one after the other, and then once he broke her defenses, she said mentally, "Is it too much to ask for a little time to myself?"

He looked over at her for a moment, but she wouldn't look up at him, and then he severed the link. "The Doraxian tech is amazing," The General said, "The robots are incredible."

"Blue technology at its best," T'Nalia said smilingly.

Jimmy looked over at his beloved, Niona, and she had tears streaming down her face. He immediately initiated a telepathic link with her, and said mentally, "Let me fixed this?"

"I'm not broken, Jimmy. You are," she said, "It's not fair that you can rewind the universe until everything fits perfectly in your box," she lamented telepathically. "Only a monster would take away what we had."

"Excuse me, T'Nalia," Jimmy said, "I must handle a problem below deck. You have the bridge."

Jimmy exited the bridge, and then Niona said, "You're cruel.

He walked down to the bay for a moment, and climbed in his parasitic Lantern ship. He opened the bay doors telekinetically, and flew out of them. Once he moved past the ship, he used his telepathic powers to block everybody from detecting him leaving, and he then took off at warp nine across the stars, and dropped his telepathic connection to Niona. In a matter of seconds, he activated the transwarp device, and hopped nearly two thousand light years across the galaxy. All of the transwarp devices except for his own hopped fifty light years at a time, but the device on his parasitic Lantern ship had a max range of four thousand light years. He brought the ship to a stop, and watched several majestic lifeforms floating in front of him. The animals were of all different colors and sizes, and the violet ones were the loveliest. They were large, jelly like creatures that chunked bags of spores across the universe to populate worlds, and Jimmy called them the Rudimentals. He hadn't been around the creatures in the current timeline, but he remembered he missed them for several reasons. The planet directly below the creatures was called the Discontinuum, a world where time stood still.

On the alternate timeline, Jimmy wasn't a reckless man, at least when it came to the people he loved. With his superpowers and the ring of the Destroyer, he built a world that didn't move through time. He built a world that wasn't easily discovered by alien creatures. When he exited his ship, the Rudimentals went about their day, and didn't bother him. If any other creature had made his or her way near the planet, they'd attack them viciously.

Without hesitation, he flew down to the planet, and it was green like the Earth. There was a large, self sustaining building in the middle of mountains of vegetation. When he placed his hand to the door, a computer said, "Welcome, Jimmy T'McGinnis." He walked down a dark corridor, and a Doraxian robot met him.

"It's nice to see you, sir," the robot said, "All is well. The cryogenic subjects are sound asleep."

"Thank you," he said, "I would like to see the family."

A gymnasium size room opened, and there were hundreds of cryogenic chambers. He walked past Jessica, Vivian, T'Naga, and all the way over to Niona, and all of his kids. The chambers had tubes protruding from them, and he could see his wife's beautiful emerald face. He cried over her chamber for hours, and kept telling her that he loved her so much, and he felt some relief that he ensured they escaped the confines of time. He kept them as a contingency in case he ever lost Niona. He looked over at his handsome sons, and they were even more good-looking than he remembered. For some reason, his mind played with the idea of awakening his wife, but that was an obvious mistake. He knew if he let her get up that he wouldn't want to put her back to sleep. Besides, he'd have to explain the selfish route of rewinding the Universe so he could satisfy his ego.

Jimmy sat on the floor by his wife's chamber, and tried to think through the madness of what he had done, but it was hard. He had T'Nalia back in his life, and that felt good to him, and at the same time, she encouraged him not to neglect Niona. His life was already a thousand times better than his previous life, but since Niona remembered the alternate timeline, what was once a blessing turned into a curse. He played with erasing the children from Niona's memory on several occasions, but that was his selfishness bubbling to the surface. He came to the realization that he had to be a man about what he caused, and let Niona vent when she needed to vent. He took a ginormous breath, and walked out of the room, and decided that he"d visit his wife as much as time allowed.

Back on the ship…

Jimmy sat in the Officer's Lounge by himself, and drank a few Pilikakas, a strong beverage genetically designed to get him drunk. It wasn't a drink that he could share with his wife or Niona because it would make them sick. He had tried the Booshi a few times, but it had absolutely no effect on him. He knew T'Nalia was a connoisseur of fine alcoholic beverages, but the Pilikakas wasn't for Doraxians. As soon as he thought about Niona, he reconnected to her mind, and she was still in a lot of pain. She was up in her room crying so hard that she didn't feel him reconnect.

"What are you doing?" Jimmy asked telepathically. He felt her thinking, but she didn't say anything. "I've been selfish," he said, "I've hurt you badly, and I wish I could undo your pain." It was late in the evening, and T'Nalia had scuttled off to bed as soon as she left work because he never returned to the bridge. She didn't take it personally because he often had meetings with the Council of Science that lasted hours. Niona concealed her dismay, but as soon as Jimmy reconnected with her, she made sure he felt her pain. He realized that his selfishness was a major character flaw, but he addressed it like it was a foible. He looked at the time on his communicator, and realized that Niona hadn't said anything to him at all, and it bothered him. The silence was madness because he had been talking to her all day everyday for years. "I can't stand this rancor between us, Niona," he said telepathically.

After a while, he ran to her hovel, waived his right hand across the door, but it didn't slide open. He used his x-ray vision, and looked through the door, and saw his beloved laid out on the floor with an empty bottle of alcohol: Pilikakas! He telekinetically unlocked the door, and it immediately slid open. He ran into her room, and felt her face, but she was barely breathing. She smelled like pure alcohol, and he realized that she suffered from alcohol poisoning. Immediately, he grabbed her, and encompassed her with his golden glow.

Niona sat against the far wall of her hovel, and she was still in her work clothes. They were stained with vomit and blood. Her orange hair was in a frenzy, and her eyes filled with tears. With the use of his telekinesis, he stripped off her soiled clothes. She stood against the wall almost in a daze, and he only had a tenuous telepathic link to her. He didn't know if she was rejecting the link or if the hazy connection was a result of the poison. He picked her up, and gingerly placed her in the shower. The water poured over her emerald body, and when that happened, it cemented their nexus. It was consequential and lively. He placed his hands on her head, and a luciferius white beam extended from his head, and went into her head. He downloaded the earlier events into her mind, so she could feel what he felt, and he gave her a full video of their children. It brightened her visage, and it was the first smile she had in days.

"My babies," she said. Her smile went from ear to ear.

He broke the connection, and whispered telepathically, "I placed them outside of time in the In Between."

"They're alive?" She asked.

"Very," he said. "They're two thousand light years away in a hidden sector of space. I've wrapped an entire area of space in the In Between."

"How do you know they're okay?" She asked with a scowl on her face.

He sat down on the bench, and she leant against the wall of the shower. "I went there earlier today," he said, "I broke connection with you so you wouldn't detect me."

"Take me to our kids, Jimmy," she demanded. "I want to see them now. "

Jimmy stood to his feet, and talked to T'Nalia with his telepathy, but she tried to ignore him. "I need you to come with Niona and I."

"Can't you go without me?" She thought.

"No. This is a family affair," he said, "I'm going to need the Quantum Drive."

Later in the evening…

Jimmy and Niona walked over to T'Nalia wearing their full, Lantern dress, and T'Nalia immediately asked, "What's going on with you two?" Niona didn't say anything. She walked into the ship, and T'Nalia watched her with wondering eyes. "What did you do, Jimmy?"

He grimaced for a moment, and sat against the Dracunculus, and said, "Memories have returned in both Niona and I," he said, "Somehow, future me rewound the Universe to meet my need to bring you back." T'Nalia placed her right hand against his face, but didn't say anything. She was demonstrating to him that nothing had changed because of the new revelation. He grabbed her hands, and guided her into the shuttle. He took the driver's seat, and his wife sat next to him in the co-pilot seat. Niona was in the very back, and didn't say anything at all. He told his wife the entire story of what had happened, and the scientist in her simmered to the surface.

'You built a world in the In Between?" She screeched.

"Lower you voice," Jimmy said.

She said in a loud whisper, "That's just theory that the In Between existed at all."

"Please understand that we're about to visit all of our children," he said, "That means our three kids T'Nalia and our five kids Niona."

"Let's go, Jimmy. Please,' Niona demanded.

Once Jimmy flew the Dracunculus past the stern of the Dragon, he took off at warp five, and then opened up the Transwarp tunnel. The only people who knew about the technology to jump beyond fifty light years was inside the shuttle and they were sworn to secrecy. All Transwarp technology was highly classified, but the Quantum Drive wasn't ever discussed with anybody outside the circle.

"What are all those creatures?" T'Nalia asked.

"Rudimentals," he said, "In their genetics are the basic building blocks of life."

"What life?" She asked.

"All life," he said, "You, me, Niona." He paused for a moment, and started his descent into the Discontinuum's atmosphere. "We're almost there."

By the time he landed the Dracunculus in front of the large building, Niona was crying telepathically, and it nearly drove Jimmy mad. He helped T'Nalia out of the vessel, but Niona yanked her hand away from his. When T'Nalia saw it, she said, "You told me not to blame our Jimmy for what his future self did. That was you, right?"

Niona paused for a moment. "I did say that."

"Then let's keep our emotions out of this, and act like Lanterns," she said. "Are we all in agreement?"

Niona nodded. "Sorry, sir," she said.

Jimmy knew she didn't listen to anything T'Nalia said because if she did, she would have whispered to him telepathically. She never verbally said anything meaningful to him unless it was to show her disgust in something he did. When he opened the door, the robot answered it.

"Back so soon, General T'McGinnis," he said. The robot escorted the team to the chambers, and when the doors slid opened, Niona didn't hesitate to find her children. She was in the wrong area of the bay, and Jimmy immediately grabbed her telekinetically. He sat her down right in front of herself, and she immediately paused in and T'Nalia walked over to Niona and her doppelganger, and he looked at her for a moment.

"I can tell you truly loved her," T'Nalia said.

"He loved you more," Niona quipped. "He killed billions over you." She looked at her oldest son, Terry, and peered into his chamber. "He looks so peacefull…"

"He would have done the same for you Niona," T'Nalia said, "Look at how he decorated your chamber."

She looked over at her doppelganger's chamber, and said, "It's just decoration."

"As long as our family stays within the In Between, our shenanigans can't touch them," he said, "We can't remove them until I turn fifty-eight."

"So, there are two Raydons?" T'Nalia asked.

"Yes," Jimmy said. "There may be two of all our kids."

"I don't see that," Niona said.

"Well. There will be two Terrys," Jimmy said, "I can promise you that."

"I'm not having your baby, Jimmy," Niona said.

"Are you going to tell her or do you want me to tell her?" T'Nalia asked.

For a second, the room was extremely quiet. Niona walked over to the medical robot, and said, "Robot, scan subject Niona," she said.

The Robot scanned her for a moment, and said, "Subject Niona is expecting."

"That means you're pregnant," T'Nalia quipped.

Niona held her stomach for a moment, and said, "I could have hurt my baby." She looked over at Jimmy, and said, "You could have told me this."

"You're right," Jimmy said, "T'Nalia, please stop drinking, so you won't hurt our baby."

"You meant Niona," she said,

NIona laughed. "He meant T'Nalia."

"Actually, I did mean T'Nalia," Jimmy said.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" She asked.

When the robot confirmed T'Nalia's pregnancy, she laid on the floor for a moment, and sobbed.

"Screw you two," Jimmy said, "I thought we could celebrate later, but I don't want to do anything with you two right now."

Back on the ship…

Niona had fallen asleep in the shuttle, and as soon as they returned to the Demon, he carried her to his bedroom. T'Nalia hopped in the bed, and Jimmy laid Niona in the middle. He looked over at his wife, and she was turned facing the other way. "I expected I was pregnant too," she said, "I had thrown up earlier."

"You two hurt me today," he said, "My heart is with you guys, and I feel like you two don't appreciate me."

"Oh please," Niona said softly. "I'm more than happy to be the mother of your child."

"Do the ascetics allow for polygamy?" Jimmy asked. "This is important to me."

"Yes," T'Nalia said, "It happens on Neostar too."

"Are any of the Council of Science members in polygamous relationships?"

"Two of them are," she said.

"The wedding should be on Neostar," Niona said, "I'm a princess on my world."

"Neonodiums would view the relationship as a financial arrangement and military protection," Jimmy said, "I think that's a good thing."

"It would definitely cement an alliance with the Doraxian military," T'Nalia said.

"How would Doraxians view it?" Niona asked.

"Doraxians would take it as a business arrangement, especially since Jimmy's worth billions now," she said.

"I think everybody in this room knows why I want to marry Niona," he said, "But I think the narrative of the marriage being a business arrangement would be more palatable to all cultures involved."

"How would the military take it?" T'Nalia asked.

"I think they already know we all have a strong, undeniable connection," he said.

Two months later…

Niona and Jimmy were on Neostar with the Baby, and they were married in a secret wedding in the Iona family home. T'Naga was T'Nalia's body guard during the wedding, and it worried Jimmy because they'd be traveling back to the Demon without him. The wedding was considered a secret until after T'Nalia and Jimmy remarried. T'Nalia gave the Iobis her Lantern ship that she flew to Oa, and they loved it. It was the only ship in Jimmy's immediately family without the Transwarp technology. He had access to some powerful ships that weren't on the books, and with his money, he had some ships built, but all his advance ships had Transwarp technology. The Lanterns responsible for dignitaries were called Technicians, and they were part of the intelligent branch. A Technician was at least a level three Mind Blocker with Blue Fu defensive combat skills.

But when it came to T'Nalia, she had T'Naga escorting her, and even though she hated her, T'Naga was a level five Mind Blocker, and she wore bracelets made out of amazonium. She was a Silver Blade warrior, and an assassin.

"This is the strongest alliance we've ever had with the Neonodiums, Jimmy," T'Nalia, the father of his wife, said. "I can't begin to tell you what you've done for Doraxia."

"I know the elite views my marriages with the daughters of Doraxia and Neostar as alliances, but I truly love them," he said, "I hope they don't just see me as a military brute, but as a man who loved his wives beyond the materialistic."

During the Neonodium wedding, T'Nalia walked Jimmy down the aisle, and promised to share him with Niona for all times, and during the ceremony, the woman made a pact to never turn on each other. It was a beautiful event of the elites on Neostar and the elites from Doraxia, mainly the Council of Science.

"Give Niona the time of her life," she said smilingly. T'Nalia's stomach was large, and she was about a month from giving birth.

"Tell T'Naga about her next assignment," he said. He kissed T'Nalia on the lips, and then placed the back of his right hand on her left cheek.

After Terry was born, Niona's mother took the baby, so the couple could enjoy their honeymoon. He loved Niona so much that he spent the majority of his time adhering to her every need through the pregnancy. He oiled her tummy to keep the stretch marks at a minimum, and kissed her tummy everytime he left her hovel. He's spend one night with T'Nalia during her pregnancy and the next night with Niona until he moved Niona into his hovel he shared with T'Nalia. Jimmy brought his two wives breakfast full of Madi meat and pip eggs, and when he placed them in front of them, T'Nalia asked Niona, "Who's S'Rae F'Nare?"

Jimmy quickly sat down, and Niona looked befuddled for a moment. "You remember her?" Jimmy asked.

"I heard Niona mention her name," she said.

Niona set her fork on her tray, and placed her right hand over her mouth. She grimaced for a moment, and looked over at Jimmy. "She's Jimmy's wife."

T'Nalia dropped her eating utensil, and asked. "Current wife?"

"She's no more than seven or eight right now, but I sense her presence," Jimmy said. "I sense she's in danger."

"You should tell me these things," T'Nalia said. "Both of you. How many wives do you have?"

Niona paused. She raised up her right hand, and showed her five fingers.

"Really?" She asked. She looked up at Jimmy, and then asked. "Who are they?"

Niona looked stressed. "You won't like at least one name on the list."

"Let me fucking guess. Checha!"

"Bingo," Niona said.

"How did you know?" Jimmy asked.

"As soon as you returned, you recruited her, built her a ship, and trained her above and beyond the rest," she said, "Why can't you be upfront about this?"

"I should have told you about Checha, but where would that have left us?" Jimmy asked.

"I told you before that men of means have a multitude of wives," she said, "You can have a thousand wives, but you must have approval from your previous wives to bring a new one into the fold. If we don't approve, then she's nothing more that a paramour." T'Nalia shook her head in frustration. "I love you guys. Please have a good time on your honeymoon."

"Thank you," Niona said. "Thank you for everything."

Jimmy had a Yellow Lantern Battlecruiser called the TCB, and it was based on the parasitic Lantern ships, but much bigger. It was a ship he designed for himself, and it was equipped with Demon level weapons and shields on it. It was equipped with two parasitic vessels attached to the outside of the ship. The name of his new vessel was called The Code Breaker. It had a break area next to the bridge, three bedrooms, and four bathrooms. There was a bathroom and shower on the bridge, and each bedroom had one. One of the bedrooms was the master bedroom, and Jimmy had the ability to control the ship from that room.

The large screen monitor had a fireplace display on it, and the couple laid in front of it drinking wine on a large, red beanbag. They had complained a little that they never enjoyed a childhood, especially since she had ran away at the age of ten. She had her hair cut in the ascetic style: bowl cut in the front with long black hair. She wore her traditional clothing: a blue, nearly see-through dress, black bra, and black panties. Jimmy gingerly ran his fingers through her nice, orange hair, and kissed her soft lips. He could taste a hint of wine, and he enjoyed it. She laid on top of him, and then asked, "When you showed me what happen in the alternate timeline, you impregnated me," she said, "What I thought was a view into my past life was the insemination?"

"No," he said, "The insemination happened afterwards, but we had the Neonotium mating ritual when I showed you the past life. All of the feelings, all the palpitations, and all the enjoyment happened in real time, even when you begged me for mercy. The same vaginal contractions that made a propitious insemination in the reenactment happened repeatedly during the flashback, and even after you told me you hated me, your body was telling me a different story. So, when we had sex afterwards, the insemination took place."

"Did you know that would happen?" She asked.

"I suspected as much," he said.

"So, Terry wasn't an accident?" She asked.

"No," he said. He paused for a moment, and then asked, "Did you want it to be an accident?"

"No," she said, "I just want to be involved in the decision making."

Jimmy played with her thick, orange hair, and gently kissed her emerald visage, and said, "We didn't marry until after T'Nalia died in the prior timeline," he whispered telepathically, "That was a mistake. I think we got it right this time."

She smiled sheepishly, and placed the backside of her emerald, right hand against his brown cheek, and whispered mentally, "Even when we met all those years ago, I loved you and I felt your love for me. Your love has been the greatest force in my life." She bent over in what appeared to be in pain for a moment. Grabbing her head, she fell off the bean bag. "It's S'Rae!"

Jimmy paused for a moment, and ruminated. "I sense her."

She walked over to the terminal, and pulled it out for a moment. "If I can sense her telepathic mind, then the ship must be in our vicinity."

He tried to find the ship with his conscious mind, and then he said, "If it's a Peridian vessel, the ship has mind blocking equipment. I keep losing the connection."

"I don't see anything, Jimmy," she said. "I'm going to stay in this space for now, and wait."

He walked over to her, as she faced the terminal, and gently pushed her long, orange hair behind her ears. "I've been looking through the manning rosters of the Old Guard and Lantern Corp," he whispered telepathically. "If we go to war, I'll need you to command a Demon class ship." She didn't say anything at all, and stared directly at the floor for a long time. "T'Nalia will also command her own ship. I just don't have the manning needed yet to leave you out the equation."

She sighed. "It's only temporary, right?" She asked telepathically.

"Yes," he whispered telepathically, "The people of Doraxia won't stand for a Demon class ship in production for too long." She laid her head on his right shoulder, and hugged him tightly for a moment. "I've been working on revamping the Old Guard schools," he said, "It'll take a year to put it in place, but the Doraxian people have an aversion to exercise."

She smirked. "The ascetics, gays, and transexuals are the fittest, better educated, and most loyal to Doraxia."

"But they won't pull the trigger," he whispered telepathically. "How can I ensure a transexual will pull the trigger?"

"Life like simulators would work," she said. "We have holographic technology on Neo Star, and it's highly possible to install the tech in all the ships in the fleet." She kissed him, ran over to his dresser, and pulled out his fake vagina. "The holographic simulators will give you a lot more pleasure than this thing." She laughed.

"You're not going to make me use that on our honeymoon, are you?" He whispered telepathically.

"Honestly, you never had to use this," she whispered telepathically, "I'm always here for you, Jimmy." She walked back over to him, and kissed him softly.

Jimmy pulled her closer to him, and he gingerly placed his head against hers, and a beam of light went into her mind, and he massaged her cerebral. Her body trembled in enjoyment, and she moaned loudly. When she finished, she laid on his chest for a moment, and kissed his chiseled abs.

She looked him in the eyes, and he felt a tingle in his head, and then Niona massage his cerebral, and he palpitated wildly. She stood up on her knees, looked at him, and put all her telepathic energy into him, and it was the first time she had him screaming for more. When he climaxed, he fell off the bag, and onto the floor.

She rubbed his shoulders as he lay on the ground palpitating from the telepathic foreplay. By stimulating certain areas of the brain, they could reach the maximum climax, and they often did all the time. "The only bad thing about this is it's addictive like a drug," she whispered telepathically.

"It is a drug," Jimmy said, "That's why we're always talking telepathically."

She smiled. "Promise me you'll be careful when doing this with T'Nalia or Checha?" She whispered telepathically. "It's an addiction to people without our abilities."

"Every now and again I give T'Nalia that pleasure," he whispered telepathically. "How much is an addiction?"

"It depends on the person," she whispered telepathically. "I've been connected to you for life. I haven't connected with another empath for cerebral sex, but the addictiveness was a discussion in my training."

Suddenly, the ship's alarms went off. The sirens blared loudly for about ten seconds, and then softened. Jimmy hopped off the floor, and said, "Computer bring up the problem."

The display went from the fireplace to a large ship that was the size of a city.

"Are you seeing this?" Jimmy asked Niona telepathically. "I don't detect S'Rae."

"It's like an entire city," she whispered telepathically. "I'll keep searching for her because if I sensed her once, then I should sense her again."

It looked like it had a slew of powerful cannons on it, but none of them were deadlier than his gamma cannon he thought. The ship stretched the size of two football fields, and it was like a mega city in space. He didn't recognize the design, but it had to be the Peridians. It wasn't a Lantern vessel, and he scanned it telepathically, but there wasn't any Lanterns aboard the ship. He immediately donned his Yellow Lantern Uniform, and then said, "Computer, hail the alien ship."

"Yes, General. Connection established," the computer said. He reached over for Niona, and she stood beside him. She donned her Yellow Lantern uniform with a twirl of her right finger, and she seemed prepared to be an Ambassador. He looked over at his wife, and her gait was royal like.

"My name is General McGinnis of Doraxia, and this is my wife Niona McGinnis of Neo Star" he said, "Who are you?"

It was a long pause, and then the alien said, "I'm Commander Stack of the Peridians."

"Where do I know that name?" Jimmy asked Niona. "Stack?"

"Go into war mode, Jimmy,' Niona said telepathically, "Stack attacked the Hellion in ther other timeline, and killed six thousand slaves on Gidison during the Great War." A red light blinked on the monitor, and then she said, "They're preparing to fire."

Suddenly, the alien vessel revved up its weapon system, and Jimmy put his vessel on a war footing. He walked over to another panel with a litany of buttons on it. A flat screen monitor ascended from a slot in the panel, and then he did a scan of the vessel. When he read the population readout on the screen, he looked back at his wife, and said, "They have seventy thousand people on that ship."

"You're the leader of the Doraxian military," she whispered mentally, "If they force your hand, then …"

"My mission is to avoid mass killings," he whispered telepathically. "I've already killed thousands."

"I stand with you on whatever you choose to do," she said, "We're in war mode. If you fire on them, it will cut through that ship like butter."

Jimmy went back over the monitor, and Commander Stack looked directly at him. He wore a long coat with metals on the right side. Steel spikes protruded from his head, and he flared his nostrils as if he were angry. "Do you know who I am, Commander Stack?"

"I do," he said. His gritty voice sounded wise, but his Sage told him not to trust them.

Niona said telepathically, "These Peridians are huge slave traders. I mean huge."

Jimmy looked over at her for a moment, and then said telepathically, "You're really advocating for me killing these people."

"Earth owes the Peridians two million additional slaves, and the Lanterns said you're holding up the request," he said, "Give us the slaves."

"Under what authority?" Jimmy asked.

"How far is their planet from our current position?" He asked Niona telepathically.

"Two hundred light years," she said telepathically. "It's in the Dark Corridor."

"Under the Treaty of Trust and Subjugation," he said, "We have two million slaves coming to us."

"I nullified that treaty, Commander," he said. His countenance changed, and he looked angry. "I obliterated six Lantern Battlecruisers over this nearly seven years ago."

"The treaty is good according to the Lantern Corp," he said.

"No. Kai Ro voided the treaty because he was a representative of the Lantern Corp while being a citizen of Earth. The price tag of fifty million slaves was propitiously in favor of Oa, and left Earth with a bad deal."

"That's not my problem," the Commander said.

"You do understand I will destroy Peridia over this issue," he said, "I'd wipe out your race."

Unexpectedly, The alien vessel fired upon Jimmy's ship, and it knocked it backwards several hundred feet. Niona nearly fell to the ground, but with Jimmy's telekinesis, he was able to keep her upright. Jimmy's ship, The Code Breaker, was a much smaller ship than the Demon, but it had a powerful gamma cannon. "Computer, break communications."

"Communications severed," the computer said.

"Computer, find the frequency of the alien ship's shields," he said, "When you have the frequency, lower their shields, and then fire a continuance gamma ray at their command structure for fifteen minutes."

"This will destroy the enemy ship," the computer said.

"That's the plan," he said.

"Please note, General, their weapon system is substandard," the computer said, "You have the dominant firepower."

"Computer, who programmed you?" Jimmy asked.

"T'Nalia McGinnis," the computer said.

"Fine. When their shields are down, hit them with something to let them know we mean business."

Jimmy looked over at his wife with a grimace.

"Don't blame me," she whispered telepathically. "I'm Niona. Besides, I believe S'Rae is on that vessel. I can't sense her, but let's not risk it. Even if she were dead, I sensed her brain activity in the last few hours."

"Cancel the order, Computer," he said softly. "I too felt her. The only reason I don't destroy that ship is in the hopes the fifth is on it. I'll have a better outcome with my ring."

He decided to leave the confines of his ship, and faced the alien vessel head on. When he charged the ship, the Commander fired on him, and struck him in the chest, but it didn't do anything to him. He used his heat vision, and it tore a hole in a vital part of the ship. When the ship fired directly at him a second time, he put up a wall with his power ring, and then cut the alien vessel in half with a laser from it. He clicked a button on his wrist, and then said, "Computer, fire on the alien vessel with full force on my command."

"Yes, sir. Waiting for the command."

"Jimmy, the Commander is surrendering," Niona said.

He flew back into his ship, and the Commander was on the screen. "We have mass casualties."

Niona whispered telepathically, "thirty-two hundred dead."

"Computer, send in the robots to help prepare the alien vessel on my command," he commanded.

"Yes, sir," the ship said, "It will take approximately two days to repair the vessel."

"Jimmy, I'm reading twenty-two thousand humans aboard the alien vessel," Niona whispered telepathically.

"Computer, delay that order," Jimmy demanded.

"Commander, a couple of things are going to happen. One. I am bringing in some galaxy class ships to retrieve all the humans aboard your vessel."

"You don't have the right!" He screamed. "This ship is under Green Lantern jurisdiction."

"I can restore your deceased as long as you don't interfere with the repatriation of my people."

"Restore the deceased? What is this? Magic?" He exclaimed.

"It's science, idiot," Jimmy quipped.

"Three. I'll use my robots to restore your vessel," he said, "Now, If you don't agree to this, the alternative options are destroying your ship, punching a hole through your world, and tracking down your remaining people throughout the galaxy, and killing them too. I'm game for whatever you choose."

"You'd blow up a world with thirty billion people?" He asked.

Niona whispered to him, and said, "I sensed her for a split second."

"When you said you knew of me, what did you mean?" Jimmy asked.

"That you were the one who interfered with the Treaty of Trust and Subjugation," the Commander said.

"He's being deceptive," Niona whispered telepathically. "Everything about his face indicates he's hiding something."

"So, you don't know about the two billion dollar bounty on my head?" He asked.

"No bounty is that high," The Commander said.

"Do you know I'm the leader of the Yellow Lantern Corp?" He asked.

"What happened to Sinestro?" The Commander asked.

"You know he's not be forthright now," Niona said telepathically as a matter of factly.

"Missing," he said. "I suggest you never attack an enemy you don't know. Not killing you is like going on a diet. I could fall off the bandwagon at any time, and slaughter everybody you know."

"General, can you send those robots?' The Commander asked. "The temperature is dropping."

"Their atmospheric machine is damaged," Niona said telepathically, "Maybe six hours of usable air and they'll freeze to death in about four hours." She paused for a moment. "Were you really thinking about blowing up their world?"

"No," he whispered telepathically. "It's called brinkmanship." He tapped a button on his communicator, and then said, "Colonel T'Nalia, I need The Blue Dream to pick up twenty something thousand humans."

"Is it serviceable?" T'Nalia asked.

"I believe so," he said, "Colonel T'Lita Noir told me it was operational." He stopped talking to her through the communicator, and then said telepathically, "Have T'Naga pilot the ship, and place the Transwarp Drive on it."

"Somebody will notice, Jimmy," she thought.

"Just be discreet," he whispered telepathically.

"I'll send Captain T'Naga to Vitic with the extra drive," she thought, "We'll be there in six hours."

Later in the day…

The crew of the alien vessel placed all the dead in a pool of water on the first floor like the General ordered, but he didn't see a Gidison child. He looked around the room with his super vision, but didn't see her at all. He could hear her telepathic thoughts, and for a moment, he wondered if he imagined it. When he walked onto the alien vessel, he felt the fear, and if he said he didn't enjoy it, he would be telling a lie. The fear went into the ring, and turned it into enjoyable electrical pulses that fed into his mind. The ring worried him. He hadn't felt fear in a long time, and now it was happening all at once. He twirled his right finger in the air, and all of his clothes disappeared off his body, and he was bare in front of the ship's crew. His appearance baffled everybody.

"Is this all of them?" He asked.

"Yes, sir," one of the soldiers said.

Jimmy walked into the water, bare from top to bottom, and sent a powerful golden current through the water. For five minutes, he illumined the entire room, and revived the dead. At first, a little child climbed out of the pool, and cried because he was soaking wet. The bodies flailed in the water, but he didn't lessen the strength. He could hear the aliens calling what he was doing witchcraft, and that bothered him. He didn't want others to view his powers as being godlike or that he was a god. His abilities had more to do with the power of science, and he wanted to perpetuate that idea to all. The newly revived walked out of the pool, and within fifteen minutes, Jimmy stood in the water by himself. He flew directly in the air, and donned his Yellow Lantern uniform.

Back on The Code Breaker…

"Jimmy, this is T'Nalia," she said, "We're about ten minutes out."

"What ships do you have with you?" He asked.

"I have the Demon and T'Nalia's piloting the Blue Dream," she said.

"Okay," he said.

"We'll have to terraform another planet in Earth's solar system," she said.

"Damn," Jimmy said. He was dumbfounded for a moment.

"The Peridians have diseases that are harmful to humans," she said, "They don't affect you, me, or Niona, but devastating to humans."

"What's that one planet?" Jimmy asked telepathically.

"You're going to have to be clearer than that, honey," she thought. "There's trillions."

"I want to say Prime Star," he said without any conviction.

"Yeah. It's like Earth, but it's twenty light years from Earth," she thought. "It''s kind of just sitting there. Empty"

"Screw that. We can put them on an empty planet in Doraxia's solar system," he said.

"Why?" She asked.

"'Cause Doraxian scientist need work," he said telepathically. "Where's my level five containment planet?"

"Honey, you have the Council on speed dial," she thought. "If you need it, they'll give it to you."

"Ugh. I don't have any of the safety plans written for the level five containment planet," he said telepathically. "I need all the safety protocols in place in case of contamination."

"Just put them on Prime Star," she thought. "Many of them will die from the diseases, but some of them might adapt."

Niona stood at the computer monitor, and then said telepathically, "Something isn't right with this machine. I'm counting fifteen thousand humans now."

He walked over to her, gingerly placed the back of his hand on her right cheek, and she step back from the computer. Jimmy ran several of his own algorithms, and then stated, "It's a ruse. I'm not detecting any humans." He stepped back for a moment, and sent a telepathic message to T'Nalia, "Stay about two light years back, T'Nalia."

"What's going on?" She thought.

"I don't know," he said telepathically. "Give me an hour."

"Okay," she thought.

"I'm not able to read any minds in the ship," he said telepathically to Niona. "They're using some kind of powerful equipment to block my powers."

"Me either," she said telepathically. "It's like a mental block." She walked up behind him, and guided him to the bean bag. When he sat back, she placed her hands on either side of his temples. "Concentrate," she said telepathically. "Force your way through the block."

Suddenly, Jimmy felt a tingle, and he immediately threw up several images of random objects, and it was enough to thwart the attack. When he felt another series of tingles, he threw up another set of random images, and then he saw a telepathic anomaly on the part of his attackers. He used his mental prowess to tunnel into their machinery, and caused it to short out. When that happened, it opened up a different reality, and the alien ship was half the size he originally thought, and he visualized nine empaths aboard the ship with one, cruel leader named Haddic Stack. In addition, he felt only nine thousand minds, but they weren't telepaths or humans. He focused in on the empaths, and went deep into their minds with every means to cripple them, but he realized they were lowly slaves. They were like midnight: dark, strong in body, but abused and saddened. They weren't Peridians like the lead telepath; they were an ancient race called the Gidisons, and they were tall, dark, and docile. His future wife was from the same race, and he knew she was aboard the ship. The Gidisons were strong empaths, but most didn't explore their abilities because of Peridian laws that prohibited them from mental agility. The Peridians forced them to wear mind-blocking helmets, and only the Gidisons on the fringes of society refused to do so. In addition, they were androgynous creatures with both male and female parts until the age of twenty-one, and only during insemination did a Gidison become fully female. If one of their species wasn't seminated by the age of twenty-one, then they were male. Nature made the choice for them, and it was always male. But if a male inseminated an androgyne before twenty-one, then a metamorphosis took place.

"Something isn't right," Jimmy whispered telepathically to his wife. "I'm sensing the Fifth?"

"T'Nalia is the First. You called me the Second. Checha is the Third. I never knew the Fourth. The Fifth was of an ancient, androgynous race, an enslaved race. She was a princess. When you mated with her, she became like you. We went to her world to free them from bondage, and it caused the Great War. If she's on that vessel, then the circle is complete."

"If she's damaged, I'm going to end him," Jimmy said.

"I'm feeling her powers. She's calling us," Niona said.

"She's a telepath," Jimmy said, "A strong one like you."

Jimmy and Niona flew over to the ship, and they headed directly for the control room. The hallways were narrow and dark. They were dark because the robots hadn't restored all the power yet. When he opened the door to the control room, he saw eight Gidisons with helmets on their heads, but the machinery didn't work. Haddic Stack had a pistol to one of the pitiable creatures' heads, and the General took it from him using telekinesis. The alien tried to attack Jimmy on a mental level, but it didn't work. He wasn't a natural telepath like everybody else in the room. Jimmy immediately realized Haddic's helmet was the source of his powers, and he flipped it off his head. When he removed the alien's helmet, Niona went into his mind, and knocked him out cold.

The Gidisons took off the machinery that gave them the power to block the General, and they had silver helmets on their heads that fit like skull caps. When Jimmy removed one of the helmets from the Gidison who sat closest to him, he started screaming. Quickly, the young man ripped the helmet from the General's hands, and placed it back on his head.

"Are you hurt?" Jimmy asked telepathically.

"It's against the law to remove the helmet," he replied telepathically. "I feel bare without it."

"You're not living to your full potential," Jimmy said, "My wife and I are strong telepaths, and we'd never lessen ourselves with these helmets."

"It's all we know. We're nothing without these helmets," the young man said, "It's the only way for us to be accepted in our society."

"It's their culture," Niona said telepathically. "It's useless to try to change them."

He pressed the back of his right hand to her left cheek to indicated he understood her wisdom. "What is your name?" Jimmy asked him telepathically.

"It's A-Doc Benrae," he said, "You're the Destroyer, and your androgyne is in the trash."

"In the trash?" His visage changed. "Who put her there?" Jimmy asked.

A-Doc looked over at the Paridian commander as he lay on the ground, and Jimmy wanted to tear his body apart. The idea of his androgyne in the trash tore at his essence, and he felt a rage rise in him like no other. "He knew you would come for her." He paused, and took a swallow. "He knew you'd react if you thought humans were aboard."

Enraged, Jimmy's mind searched through the ship, in every air duct and trash compactor until he found her half dead under a pile of trash. He used his telekinesis to pull her to safety, and her body floated gingerly through the halls of the ship until his androgyne was in front of him looking cadaverous. Gingerly, he placed her on the floor, and she was gaunt and frail. Her haggard looks angered him, and with the power of his mind, he shook the entire vessel.

"A-Doc, my androgyne is telling me you saved her," he said, "She's Princess F'Nare, and her life is the most important life to you now. This goes for all of you. I will birth my androgyne at the age of eighteen, and if anybody touches her, I'll kill them a million times."

He gently grabbed his epicene and cradled her in his arms, and his tears dropped on her face. Niona backed away from him for a moment, and his entire body glowed gold, and he rejuvenated the child. His androgyne grew strong in his arms, and then he put the beautiful, crystal black child on the ground.

She fell to her knees, and cried loudly. "Master, I escaped Gidia two years ago to find you. I called out to you daily, and prayed to the laws of science that you would save me from this prison. I've crawled in the ducts of this ship, and I've eaten the trash of the respectable. Your humble Fifth is but a filthy child, and if you can see any good in me, I promise to serve you in this life as I did in the last."

"You are my fifth, and when you become of age, we will marry. I will birth you, and we'll free your people from bondage."

S'Rae walked over to Niona, and bowed, "Princess Iobi, oh sister, I'm ready to start my training."

"And train you shall," Niona said. "Not only will you become a Yellow Lantern, but we'll teach you how to rule Gidia."

"Can we become Lanterns too?" A-Doc asked.

"Yes. You men will bring a new era of freedom to Gidia," he said, "Your descendants will group up in a world where your mental abilities will be an asset." Jimmy looked over his left shoulder at Haddic, and he slowly stood up. He pulled out his gun, and held it on the General.

"Are you kidding me?" Niona asked loudly. "Have you lost your mind?" She shook her head, and then slammed him into the floor with a yellow beam from her ring. She swatted him with a giant yellow hand, and killed him. Blood spewed from his mouth, and then he took his last breath.

The Gidisons were astonished by Niona's powers, and they were saying back and forth that they had never seen a woman with so much strength. Jimmy bumped her shoulder, and she cheesed for a moment.

"My wife can pick you guys up, and take you to Doraxia for school," Jimmy said, "You can be Lanterns in six years."

"Wait? Your wife is here," A-Doc said.

"I have another wife," Jimmy said. "Her name is T'Nalia."

"Slaves aren't allowed to marry," A-Doc said.

"Being Married to my Nionan and T'Nalia is the greatest feeling in the Universe," Jimmy said, "You join the Corp of Yellow Lanterns, and we'll make it so all your people can marry." Jimmy closed his eyes for a moment." He noticed that all of the Gidisons were older than twenty-one, and they were all male. He pulled his fifth close to him, and said, "You're home, S'Rae."

She walked over to the dead Commander, and sighed. "You told me that you must go back and redo all the death and destruction you caused," she whispered telepathically to the General. "If you don't bring the Commander back, all the people on this vessel will perish."

"I see you're wiser now than ever," he whispered telepathically.

T'Naga arrived at the ship with the Blue Dream, and T'Nalia headed back to Doraxian space with the Demon. She didn't want to interfere with the honeymoon. The General walked over to T'Naga, and she called the bridge to attention. "Take them to Doraxia, and enroll them up for school. I'm depending on you to handle this, Captain."

"Yes, sir," she said in her commanding voice. She couldn't believe how tall the androgynous people were, and they were well mannered with the silver helmets on their heads. She looked at the child, and said, "You're cute."

"Third …" S'Rae said.

"Not yet," General whispered telepathically. "She doesn't know she's the Third."

"Really? She loves you like I love you," S'Rae whispered telepathically. "Please correct this before I finish my schooling, Master. Please bring the Fourth home, so we may know her in this world."

"How do you know her?" Jimmy whispered telepathically.

"Master, I am the Fifth," S'Rae whispered. "When you birth me, you imbue me with your child, your knowledge, and your skills. In time, I want to see T'Vee McGinnis."

They had on tattered clothing that barely covered their private parts, and S'Rae's dress had grown small. It barely covered her frame. They had shapely bodies like women, but their genitals were pronounced and ginormous. The Blue Dream was such a large ship that conveyor belts assisted with moving the people through the ship. She measured the androgynous men with her palm computer, and made clothing for them.

"How old are you guys?" Jimmy asked.

"Nineteen," they all said.

"Oh," he said. 'Okay. You're still androgyne?"

"Yes. I haven't chosen my path," A-doc said. "I'll look at this deeply next year."

"Can I have a black dress?" S'Rae asked. "I've chosen my path. I'm a girl. Put a huge yellow J in the middle of it." The General hugged S'Rae for a long time, and Niona joined in on the hug. "Master, I'm home. Sister, I've missed you."

Niona cried a little. "I've missed you too, sister." She placed her hands on S'Rae's small shoulders, and said, "Our family is almost complete."

"What's the J for?" Checha asked.

"Jimmy," she said.

"That's cute. You're paying respect because he saved your life?" She asked.

Jimmy sent her a telepathic thought, and said, "Tell her that's it."

"Yeah. That's it," S'Rae said.

Nearly Two Years Later on the Demon…

The General gave Checha T'Naga orders to report to the Blue Dragon in a few months for a special assignment, and the mission worried her because the General didn't give her any details. He hadn't given her all the information because he was finishing his thesis on Transwarp Theory, and T'Rauna kept asking him inane questions about his theory. He planned on receiving his T within the month, and she was traveling to Earth to pick up his father. She looked in the mirror at her sapphire face, and then sighed at the fact she hadn't received her next rank. The General had promised her a promotion before she left for the Dragon, and he hadn't mentioned anything about it. When she mentioned it to Niona, she told her to stop begging in the cruelest way possible.

"Listen. You made Captain in two years, so shut your damn mouth, T'Naga," she screeched, "He'll promote you in due time. He's been spending a tremendous amount of time working with S'Rae and Tina in his spare time."

She didn't say anything at first, but she felt like she had to say something. "I've done everything you told me to do, ma'am."

"You knew the deal," Niona screeched. "Do you see any awards on my service uniform? The Intelligence Corp is the best, brightest, and less decorated." She did her basic checks on the Dracunculus. "Jimmy told you that from day one."

"I know," she said softly.

"So, keep your emotions in check then, T'Naga," she said. "Your best friend in your life is the General."

"But why the Dragon?" She asked with an annoying stress in her voice. "It's just a warbird, and I wanted to be on the Demon."

Niona looked around the bay, and then pulled out a yellow, inflatable object, and threw it on the ground. It formed a secure, holographic hovel, and they walked inside. The building gave them some privacy to speak without worrying about being recorded. Once inside, Niona sat on a holographic bench, and T'Naga sat on the other side.

"Your mission on the Dragon is surveillance only," she said, "He thought he had detected a glitch in the Dracunculus' ship detection sensors, but he couldn't find the problem."

"Don't glitches happen?" T'Naga asked.

"We returned to the planet in the Demon, and I also detected the glitch," she said. "He no longer believes it's a glitch."

"What did he discover?" She asked.

"There's an alien technology that blocked his telepathy," she said, "He believes it's the Distortions, but he isn't sure. You will be Private Naga and the General wants you to gather information on the crew."

T'Naga looked down at the golden ground with a grimace on her blue visage.

"Do I need to give you the specifics of how you go about acquiring this information?" Niona asked. She paused for a moment.

"You're saying I'll have to use my womanly charms," she said.

"The General said do whatever it takes," she said with a scowl on her face. "It meant be a princess if it takes being a princess." She looked down at the ground for a second. "And be a whore if it takes being a whore."

"Does he think I'm a whore?" She asked.

"I've never asked him," she said, "But I know he doesn't think that. You're going to command the Subterfuge. It's a Demon Class Ship. You must mean something to him if he's giving you such a prestigious ship. Do you have any sense of the trust he has in you?"

'I know," she said.

When the holographic hovel disappeared, she helped Niona finish inspecting the Dracunculus. The crew inspected all the ships twice a day in accordance with the manual. The General insisted on doing everything by the book, and he expected each soldier to have a Soldier's Manual on their person. It had the basic instructions on how to be an Old Guard Soldier.

"Follow me to the bridge," Niona ordered.

"What's going on?" T'Naga asked.

"You ask a lot of questions, Captain," she said as they walked quickly down the hallway. "The General orders me and then I order you. I don't think you need to know anything beyond that."

"Yes, ma'am. I didn't mean.."

"Shut up, Soldier,' she said, "The General is telling me he found a problem with your service records."

"What problem?" She asked. Her eyes were large, and she started to panic.

"Keep those emotions in check, T'Naga," she said. "You're a fucking Intelligence officer under my command, and I'll rip those bars off your shoulder if you don't get your shit together."

When the bridge doors opened, Niona screamed, "Attention to orders!" Everybody on the bridge stood to attention.

The General said, "Captain T'Naga, post!" T'Naga ran over to the General, and stood in front of him. Niona said to her telepathically, "Don't you dare smile." Niona read from her tablet computer, "By the orders of the Federation of Yellow Lanterns, Captain Checha T'Naga, you are hereby promoted to the rank of Major. Ordered by the Federation of Yellow Lanterns and signed by General Jimmy McGinnis Commanding."

The General pinned on her new rank, and then said, "I want everybody to know that Major T'Naga has been an asset to the Yellow Lanterns. She has performed numerous missions, and I expect she will have a long, glorious career serving the people of Doraxia. Let's give her a hand." The entire bridge burst into a thunderous clap, and then the Major saluted the General, and he returned her salute.

"Thank you, sir," She said.

The General smiled, and then said, "Walk with me, Major."

"Yes, sir," she said.

They walked through the narrow hallways, and the General said, "Somebody on the Dragon isn't who they claim to be," he said, "There's something blocking my telepathy, and I"m not able to read this entity."

"How do you know it exists?" She asked.

"It's there. I can feel it, but I can't detect its whereabouts," he said, "I'm going to need you deep undercover. I'm sending Lieutenant Jade and Lieutenant Iobi to the Dragon in three months," he said, "I want you on the Dragon in a few days."

"Why so soon, sir?" She asked.

He sighed. "I need you to have intimate relations with the command staff," he said.

"But won't they be breaking the law?" She asked.

"Yes," he said, "I'll be able to detect the alien presences by their reaction to you."

"So, you're going to be watching me?" She asked.

"For the first three months," he said, "When the Demon leaves for Brion Noir, the Denison Barrier will block my telepathy, but you'll have Jade, Iobi and two other Lanterns at your disposal."

"What about my Lantern vessel?" She asked.

"It will be with Kal-El," he said, "I've already talked to him, and he will store it, but keep it locked. I don't want anybody knowing about the Transwarp equipment on it." He paused for a moment. "I know I'm asking a lot of you." He gently grabbed the back of her neck, and placed his forehead next to hers. He said telepathically, "Always know I think the world of you."

"Thank you, sir," she said, "I will do better than my best for you. Always," she said.

He smiled. "After you finish with this mission, I want you to spend some time with Cadet S'Rae," he said. "She's fast tracking through school, and will be finished in a year."

"Are you sending her to the intelligence course?" She asked?

"Yes. She's a strong telepath. She has already surpassed some of our best, and in a few years will be on my level."

"Are you replacing me?" Checha asked.

"No," he said, "I have future plans for you that we'll discuss down the road, but currently, I need you on the Dragon."

The General walked down the corridor, and Checha went in the other direction. She walked into her hovel, and grabbed her belongings, and then she received a telepathic message from the General. "You're stationed on the Demon. The Dragon is a temporary duty assignment, but it'll be written like permanent duty station orders. After the mission, you will return to the Demon."

"Okay, sir," she thought. "What does the Major of the Dragon know?"

"Nothing at all," he whispered telepathically. "He's a substandard soldier, but his mind is wide opened. He's not the threat. He's a threat as far as being worthless, but he's not the threat that concerns me."

"He's a T'Dank?" She thought.

"Yeah. You had relations with his uncle," he said telepathically. "He got him the job."

"Oh. You know about that affair?" She asked.

"You're my intelligence officer," he said telepathically. "I've gone over your complete background. government records, school transcripts, relationships, and everything. Get cozy with T'Dank, so you have more liberty to move about the ship."

"Okay, sir," she said.

"Once Captain Jade arrives, she'll be a stickler for the rules, but if she gets in your way, seduce her, and then make her believe she used you."

"You want me to make her believe she treated me like a whore?" She asked.

"Yes," he said, "It will make her open up to you, and passively share knowledge," he said telepathically. "Everybody on this ship will see things, but it's your job to take all the information you receive, and connect the dots."

"Yes, sir," she thought.

"My wife is on her way, and will take you to the Dragon," he said telepathically, "We will be there in a week to drop off your ship. Good luck, Major."

"Thank you, sir," she thought.

Day two on the Dragon…

T'Naga reported to Fifth Classmen B'Na Tara, a young Classmen who didn't know much about life outside the Old Guard. She walked into the bay, past the fizzle bottles and trash, and then over to the parasitic ships. There was so much trash on the floor that she had forgotten she was on a military ship. She looked the raggedy Fifth Classmen up and down, and realized that she was in just to pass time.

The Tara clan was a poor people, a people who didn't have any wealth or political clout. She had bad, mild navy blue skin, and she had shaved her eyebrows at some point. The small bumps on her face resembled acne, and with all the advance treatments, she didn't have a clue on why she didn't use them. She held a Booshi flavored fizzy throughout the entire tour of the ship, and many of the poorer clans drank fizzy drinks without much water. Fizzies tore at the enamel on the teeth, and caused chronic tooth decay. Many of the poor Doraxians suffered from bad teeth because of the fizzy drinks, but every ship had plenty of the stuff except for the Demon. One of Colonel T'Nalia's number one rules was no fizzy drinks, and the General backed her without question.

When Fifth Classmen Tara finished with her fizzy, she tossed it on the floor, and then kicked it across the bay. If not for the military, she'd probably live the sordid life of a sex worker in the Bricks, a sex villiage in the heart of Forge City. There was loads of trash in every area of the bay, and she felt sick to her stomach when she saw it. The Demon was the exact opposite of the Dragon, and everybody on the ship ensured its cleanliness. If the General caught a soldier tossing trash on any parts of his ship, he'd probably play an evil mind trick on them.

Fifth Classmen Tara showed her a strong, solid black vessel called the Sarcoptic, a parasitic ship capable of draining a large battlecruiser of power. It had phaser burns on the side of it, and she looked at it closely to see the extent of the damage. Immediately, she noticed the crew hadn't kept up maintenance on the vessel, and it didn't have any of the Transwarp tech on it. She had a black glove over her Lantern ring, and she had a medical slip for it in case somebody questioned her about it. She claimed she had a chronic condition that required her to wear the glove, but it was to hide her Yellow Lantern Ring. When she saw the condition of the vessel, her heart raced a little because she imagined what the General would say about it. One of his major pet peeves was the lack of upkeep on his parasitic vessels. When he reactivated the Old Guard, the General gave close attention to the defunct parasitic vessels, and upgraded them with advance technology. He wanted the vessels patrolling the space around his warbirds at all time, and the Dragon had all their parasitic vessels dormant in the bays.

"Fifth Classmen Tara, shouldn't there be patrols?" Private Naga asked.

"The Commander said it wasn't important," she said. She tapped on the front of the vessel, and smiled. "We spend most of our time in the lounge drinking Booshi drinks and playing Crumps."

"What's the possibility of alien ships in the area?" She asked.

"Doesn't concern me," Tara said, "I'm not letting some alien General tell me what to think, do, or feel. He comes to Doraxia, and takes over like he owns the place. I don't care if he is married to the Blue Ghost. I hate her too, and his bitch, Ni something."

Naga blacked out for a moment, and when she awoke, Fifth Classmen Tara was passed out on the floor, bleeding. She looked at her hands, and they had Tara's blood on them. She thought she was going to be able to keep calm, but somehow she completely lost it, and beat the Fifth Classmen unconscious. She checked her pulse, and then walked to her quarters. When she thought about what she said about the General, she thought about beating her a few more times. The General put Doraxians back to work, and if not for him, many doctors would be rotting away on government benefits. She must have been in her room for over two hours before her Lieutenant paid her a visit.

She heard a knock on her door, and when she opened it, Lieutenant T'Nary walked into her room, and charged her with assault for the beating of Fifth Classmen Tara. He walked into her room with his chest sticking out, but he was a frumpy man, a man who didn't care anything about his appearance. He was a strong, burly looking guy with a thick, uncouth beard. He had scraggly hair, and probably hadn't ever read the manual that covered the proper wear of facial hair.

She looked at the Lieutenant, and said, "I want legal representation."

"Why did you knock out a superior Classmen's front teeth?" He asked.

"Nobody disrespects the Command Staff in front of me," she said, "The General brought prestige back to my name after a thousand years, and I'll be damned if somebody disrespects his name in front of me."

"You're from the Naga clan?" He said. "Okay. So, she said bad things about the General?" He asked.

"And the Blue Ghost," she said, "And LTC Colonel Iobi. There are more Doraxian ships in space now than any time in the last five hundred years, and if Officers and Enlisted don't have a modicum of respect for my General, then they don't need to be in the Old Guard."

"I'm going to let this slide," he said, "But you best keep your hands off the other soldiers."

"Yes, sir," she said with a grimace on her face. "I guess you approve of her disrespect?"

"Major T'Dank put out Doraxia is for Doraxians, and I agree with that," he said.

She felt a plethora of rage building inside of her. She said, "You're really close to sedition, sir. The General is our leader, and he has the backing of the COS and the Senate. He's taken his wealth, and put it back into Doraxia." She began to cry. "It hurts my heart to know that I work for and around people who are hating my General for no reason."

"He broke ties with the Green Lantern Corp," he said, "We had honor once."

"They're an organization that promotes slavery," she said, "They go against our core values. We have our own core now. We built it. Doraxans built the Yellow Lantern school on Zaar."

The Lieutenant laughed. "Whatever." He walked out of her room, and said, "You're caping hard for a man you don't know."

She told the computer to close the door to her hovel, and then she eased her way into a meditative form. She gently waved her arms back and forth, and then kicked the air. It was a smooth motion that allowed her to relax. There was a storm of emotions that took place inside her mind. She didn't understand how they could be so naive, so ignorant, and so anti-Doraxia. It was indicative of the poor to be cruel and tribal.

The walls on her room were bare, and she didn't have any pictures that didn't have the Command Staff in them. All the pictures she had were on the Demon, and she was in uniform with her official rank on them. The General wanted her to be meticulous when it came to concealing her identity, and from what she could tell, nobody on the Dragon tried to soldier. She walked out of her hovel, back to the bay, and went through the Sarcoptic's maintenance schedule, and it disconcerted her because they hadn't recorded checks in over two months. There were three other parasitic shuttles in the bay named Demodectic, Blood Sucker, and The Tick, and when she checked their records, she found the same amount of neglect.

The parasitic ships had devices called suckers on the bottom that attached to the enemy ships, and drained them. The cables had to be properly greased on a bi-monthly schedule, and when she checked the computer, they hadn't been greased in nearly six months. The General designed the new shuttles, and they were only a year old. The newest machinery in the Dragon's arsenal looked dilapidated because of the poor upkeep, and she couldn't believe it. She walked back to the rear gunner's seat, and noticed one of the soldier's carved a swear directed at the General in it, and it nearly drove her insane. She rested her mind for a moment. The pain of seeing the defacement of Doraxian equipment by Doraxians was tantamount to the proverbial stab in the heart. She did her function checks on the guns, and they all failed. The ship wasn't prepared for battle, and from what she saw, it wasn't prepared for flight. She did a quick check on the Omega Thrusters, and they didn't appear to be functional. The Omega Thrusters fired when the ship lifted off its target, and then unleashed its final gamma blow to the enemy, breaking the ship in half. In addition, it was still early in the work day, and she hadn't seen one soldier in the bay in over an hour. In the Bay Safety Manual or the BSM, two soldiers conducted a walk through every thirty minutes in a garrison environment. During an increased threat level, it went down to every fifteen minutes.

Private Naga walked over to the wall mounted Robot, and placed in several codes in the system. The robot hopped out of the wall, and began work on the ships. In a matter of minutes, she had all eight bay robots in operation on the parasitic vessels, and she worked with one of them on the Sarcoptic.

"This is shameful," the robot said, "No ship should be in this condition unless it just came back from war."

"I know, right?" Private Naga said, "The General will have them all waterboarded if he were to see this." She paused for a moment, and tapped the robot on the shoulder. He was in the middle of removing the gunner's seat. "Are you recording troop activities while in stasis?"

"Yes, Major," the robot said, "The General has us recording everything because of the threat."

"Don't call me by my rank while I'm on this ship," she said, "I'm on a mission for the General."

"Sorry, ma'am," he said.

"Just Private will do," she said, "What's your name?"

The robot laughed. "Just robot."

"That won't do," she said, "Let's call you Nero."

"Why Nero?" He asked.

"It's a name I like and I like you," she said, "You will help me gather information."

"Nero at your service, Private," he said, "What do you need to know?"

"Remember, all of this is confidential," she said, "Tell nobody of our conversations."

"Understood, Private," he said.

"Has the Dragon's sensors picked up any alien vessels in the last year?" She asked.

"There have been shadows," Nero said, "But the bridge crew hasn't made note of it in the logs."

"Why is that?" She asked.

"They're not manning it on a regular basis," he said. He paused for a moment, and then said, "Nobody is on the bridge right now."

"Using all the information that you have on the shadows, what's the probability of it being a cloaked, enemy vessel?"

"This calculation includes the General's attack on the Lantern Battlecruisers, and the advent of his school on Zaar," he said, "The speed of his ascension into a sizeable force in the Universe has brought attention to Doraxia. The probability of an enemy alien vessel spying on the Dragon is upwards of ninety five percent."

"How many nations do you think the General has offended?" She asked.

"Thousands," he said, "The Green Lantern Corp represents thousands of worlds. It's almost safe to say that he has killed a member from each world the Corp represents."

"This means we should be at an increased threat level," she said.

"We don't have the manpower for increased patrols," he said, "Even when the additional Lanterns arrive, we won't have it." He laughed. "We aren't patrolling now."

She had a stern look on her face. "I can promise things will change for the better once I submit my report." She patted Nero on the back. "I'm going to let you get back to work, but remember that what we do, we do for the good of Doraxia."

"For the good of Doraxia," Nero said.

During Lunch…

Private Naga walked into the cafeteria, and almost all the soldiers were chugging down fizzies like water, and none of them looked as if they could pass a physical fitness test. The main dish was Madi meat, white rice, cabbage, and two pip eggs. She noticed that some of the the soldiers drank Booshi Ice, a canned alcoholic beverage that was inconsistent with the DMR or Doraxian Military Regulations.

When Fifth Classmen Tara saw her, she made a threat, "Watch your back, cunt?"

Private Naga looked at the bruised soldier, and said, "Don't make me put my Doraxian military size six boot up your blue ass."

When Fifth Classmen Tara tried to stand to her feet, her co-workers kept her seated. "Not here," one of the Classmen said. Her front, two teeth were missing, and she slurred her speech. Private Naga looked dead in her amber eyes, and she saw a small flinch. She knew Fifth Classmen Tara was a weak individual, and wasn't able to think outside her small niche of friends. Due to the ongoing disrespect of the General on the Dragon made her look adept at being on the wrong people's radar. She realized she would have to let the disrespect of the General slide, but it was painful to hear it nonetheless.

She sat down with her tray of food, and the Madi meat wasn't near as good as it was on the Demon. The General's father-in-law owned several. large Madi farms, and his wife grew up cooking the stuff. They ate Madi meat almost everyday on the Demon, and it was always fresh. None of the foods on the Demon were of the nebulous variety because T'Nalia always had the Classmen inspecting it, and giving Niona a report daily. She realized the members of the Dragon had found solace in their substandard conditions, and the General wouldn't tolerate it.

T'Naga sat with her back to the door, and when the Major walked past her position, she stood up, and said, "At ease."

"As you were," the Major said, "It's been along time since I've heard that. It kind of scared me."

A young, Doraxian woman, a Fifth Classmen sat with him, and with the way the chinwag sounded, Private Naga believed they had or were having an intimate relationship. She had to make note of it because the General wanted all the issues notated, even though his main focus was on the shadows. At the current time, she didn't know much about the Major except that he was a frumpy, untrimmed man. His beige uniform was tattered, and he had a scraggly beard. For some reason, none of the soldiers went by the Military Blue Codes For Garrison Dress (MBCFGD), and that was a problem. She saw several soldiers, both men and women, covered in face paint, and that section was highlighted in the MBCFGD.

Another bridge officer besides the Major walked into the chow hall, and it disturbed her because two bridge officers should have been on the bridge at all times. Lieutenant T'Nead, a tall, exotic looking Doraxian woman who looked like a model pranced into the dining facility, and Private Naga was enamoured with her immediately. She had a svelte frame, and resembled royal families like the T'Nalias and T'Danks. Even though Major T'Dank was of the royal lineage, he made an art out of looking and acting like a dirtbag. Every time Private Naga thought of Major T'Dank being of the royals, she wanted to laugh.

Private Naga placed her dirty tray on the conveyor belt, and looked over at the Fifth Classmen with the Major, and read her name tag. It was a soldier named Nalia, and she was almost sure that was the Colonel's cousin. For a moment, she thought the Major was some sort of Masochist. Not only was he fraternizing with the enlisted, but with relatives of the Command Staff. The Doraxian Military Law was clear on fraternization, and it was obvious the Officer Corp skirted the law.

Later in the day…

Captain T'Vlad, the commander of First Company, called Private Naga into his office. He was a well dressed officer, military cut, and cleaned shaven. He had beige gloves on with his uniform, and many soldiers wore them because the ships were cooler than they liked. He was obviously a step above the other officers on the ship with his square face. The square face gave him a tough appearance, and he talked with a gritty voice. He was a lighter skinned Blue, a Blue with a high mixture of Gray, and that automatically caused her to distrust him. She immediately noticed his last name, and it was one of the lower classes, a name derived from the Northern Hemisphere, the cooler region where the Grays once thrived before the blight wiped them out. Most of the light skinned Blues during the time of the Grays were raised by Grays, and treated the Blues badly. The Grays put the light skinned Blues over Blue organizations, and lead them down the wrong path four nearly four thousand years. It was the Nagas and Nalias that gave rise to Blue independance from the Grays.

Private Naga noticed photos of the Commander on the wall, and he had several photos with his husband. His husband was a school instructor at a secondary school on Vitic, and often dressed like a woman according to some of his photos. He kept his desk messy, and he had tons of paperwork on it, but she didn't have any idea on why. Nobody seemed to be doing anything of value on the ship, and the fact that the Captain had a ton of paperwork on his desk probably meant he had a side business.

"You're barely on this ship a day, and you attacked my Fifth Classmen, Private," he said angrily.

'I'm barely on this ship a day, and your Fifth Classmen disrespected the General, and I won't tolerate that behavior," she said. "If not for him, all of us would be sitting on Vitic twiddling our thumbs."

"That's no reason for you to knock out her teeth," the Commander said.

"It's the lack of leadership on this vessel that's the problem," Private Naga said, "The enlisted personnel gave an oath to obey the Officers appointed above us. Call me a neophyte or whatever, but I meant it."

"You have to be punished," he said. "You hit an NCO."

"Really? I haven't met one NCO on this ship," she said, "Would an NCO keep the bay trashy? Would an NCO say disrespectful things about the Command Staff? I don't even know the mission."

The Commander smirked. "We provide security and logistics to the scientists aiding the Kryptonians."

"Well, shouldn't we be providing that security by patrolling the space around the warbird?" She asked. "It's in our General Orders." She paused for a moment, and then said, "General order number one is 'I will use the parasitic vessels to guard the Blue Dragon, and destroy any enemy vessel that tries to molest her.'"

"It's up to the Major," the Captain said.

"He doesn't have the authority to override the patrols," she said, "It's in the regulations, signed by the General, and backed by the COS."

"So you're telling a superior officer on what he should be doing?" He asked.

"When said superior officer skirts the law, you're damn right I'm going to say something," she said, "The Kryptonians are important to Doraxia's interest."

"Listen. You're just a private and don't know shit, Private Naga." He pulled out his tablet computer, and said, "Sign your reprimand, and then get the hell out of my office." When he went to hand the Private the tablet computer, his nose started bleeding badly. His body suddenly went limp, and then he fell to the floor. He was only on the ground for a moment, but when he stood back up, he said, "Obviously you're the General's pet," he said, "He over did it with the telepathy."

"The General just warned you about treating me badly, and you're still going to be disrespectful?" She asked. "I guess you're going to need a lobotomy."

"So, he just told me to put the Sarcoptic on patrol," he said.

"Yet, it still sits quietly in the bay," she said, "If the General contacted you directly, then that means he's interested in you. If you're ate up, you'll learn quickly that there isn't anything more painful than the General's love."

"Screw the reprimand, and prepare the Sarcoptic for flight," he said. "We'll put our ship on patrol regardless of what the other Captains choose."

"I think that's wise, sir," she said.

"Oh. I don't for a second believe you're a Private, Major. You need to scale it back a bit," he said.

She gasped. "How do you know?" She asked.

"I'll be your XO on the Subterfuge," he said. He removed the glove off his right hand, and he wore a Yellow Lantern Ring. "The General put me on the ship for your backup."

"What's your level?" She asked.

"Three," he said, "I'm just a technician."

"No. You're a soldier for the good of Doraxia," she said.

That evening…

Private Naga felt the General enter into her mind, and he said, "You're being too feisty."

"Sorry, sir," she thought. "I will try not to let the disrespect for you to make my blood boil."

'It's okay. Stay focused on the glitch," he said.

"I will, sir," she said.

"I need you in the lounge, and meet the Bridge staff," the General said telepathically, "I'm sorry to say this, but I need you to be the bouncer."

"Okay, sir," she said. She knew it was coming at some point, and bouncer or bouncing meant a man or woman who bounced from one lap to the next. He wanted her to seduce the Bridge staff, and in some ways, she felt insecure about it.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Captain Jade walked swiftly to the Bridge. She looked around, and everybody seemed to be in place except for Lieutenant T'Nead. The dim lights on the bridge gave it an ominous appearance. She suspected some of the systems might be offline, and she didn't know why she felt that way. Major T'Dank had a book in his hand, and he stared at the overhead screen for a moment. Standing at the rear of the bridge, she immediately asked, "Major T'Dank, permission to enter the bridge?"

"Permission granted," he said. He looked back at her for a second, and then turned back to his book. She walked over to her post, and didn't see Lieutenant T'Nead anywhere in the room, and that bothered her. She walked over to the break area for a moment, and didn't see her there either. Everything appeared to be normal, but she felt a little on edge. Captain T'Baze wore his helmet that controlled the weapon system. He looked peaceful. The Commander sat quietly while he read a book, and everything seemed normal with him, but she expected something was wrong.

"Major, I think this is a good time to do a function check on the weapon systems." Captain Jade said. She looked over the checklist, and then said, "It's been awhile."

"It has been a minute," he said, "How about it Captain T'Baze?" The Major asked.

"We can do one," he said. He stood on the far right side of the Commander, and as soon as he tried to test the weapon system, the entire Bridge lost power. The room went black, and Captain Jade used her ring for lighting. Captain Baze walked to the front of the ship, and she watched everything closely with the power of her ring.

"What happened?" The Major asked.

Suddenly, Captain T'Baze turned around, and fired a green glow at the Major, and Captain Jade blocked it.

"So, you're the spy?" Captain Jade said. "Are you even Doraxian?" She asked. Backing up away from her controlled panel, she prepared herself for battle. She hadn't ever had a real battle with her ring, but she had plenty as a speedster.

Captain T'Baze laughed. He metamorphosed into a slender, ripe olive colored woman with black hair, large eyes, and thin lips. "What gave me away?" She asked. Her nasally voice was bizarre, and she acted with pride and hubris.

"Who are you?" Captain Jade asked.

"I'm Commander Tiara of the Green Lantern Corp, and a member of the Distortion race," she said. She had her hands up in a fighting stance, and Captain Jade still had her guard down. Commander Tiara then said, "Your General destroyed one of our Battlecruisers. He murdered over a thousand of my people, so I took it upon myself to revenge their deaths." She paused for a moment, and raised her right hand to her face. She spoke into a communications device. "They're vulnerable. Take them out." She paused for a moment. "What about you, Captain" Tiara asked. "Surely, you have your grievances with this General. You're just to frightened to say anything."

"Don't worry about me," she said, "Today I fight to save my ship, and if I die in the process then so be it."

Captain Jade fired on the Green Lantern, and a laser light display took place on the bridge. The Major hid in the rear of the bridge, and tried to shoot the Green Lantern with his laser pistol, but it didn't do any good. The Green Lantern was well trained. Sparky Jade sped around the Lantern, and knocked her to the ground.

"Holy shit," The Major screamed. "Dragon, war mode."

"Warmode offline," the computer said.

"Dragon, do you have any working weapons?" He asked.

'None," They are all offline.

"Sarcoptic, attack mode Bravo," the Major ordered.

When he tried to deploy the maintenance robots, the Lantern ship fired two positronic rays into the Bridge, and it tore it open. Captain Jade grabbed the Major, and took him off the Bridge, and the ship's power fluctuated. An alert went out through the entire ship, and all the parasitic ships deployed except for Captain Jade's ship, The Leech. By the time she took off in her vessel, the Dragon was caught in Praxis' gravitational pull, and over sixty Doraxians were onboard.

Captain Jade circumvented a slew of laser fire, and attached to the Battlecruiser. She drilled into the armor plating of the Lantern vessel, and once the computer displayed the words, "Locked," she drained the ship, and the Battlecruiser lost power. She watched the display on her screen, and as soon as the computer told her the ship was completely drained, she'd destroy it on lift-off. Two Green Lanterns approached her from the rear, and as soon as she saw them, she hit the Omega Thruster, flew upwards, and fired a gamma blast into the ship. The ray incinerated the two Lanterns and tore a hole in the enemy vessel. Immediately, the ship regained enough power to escape, but only because the Leech didn't chase it. The Lantern Battlecruiser took off at sublight.

"I need all ships on hand to save the Dragon," Captain Jade screamed into the communications device. The Leech, The Infection, The Flake, The Worm, and The Flea used their tractor beams in unison, and prevented the Dragon from crashing into the planet. If a warbird crashed into Praxis, it would cause a catastrophic event, and kill everybody on the surface. Captain Jade saw Major T'Naga on the other side using her power ring to push the ship upwards while the ships pulled. When the Lanterns pulled the Blue Dragon out of danger, Major T'Naga put the entire fleet on red alert. The General was so far out of range that it would take months before he found out about the attack.

"Major Hall, this is Major T'Naga," she said, "A Lantern Battlecruiser crippled the Dragon. Until further notice, we're at Threat Level Red."

"All Doraxian Military we're now raising the threat level to red," Major Hall said, "Deploy all parasitic vessels."

"Annihilator One is red. Parasitic vessels deployed," Vivian said.

"Blue Hellion is red. Parasitic vessels deployed," Major Hall said.

"Blue Force One is red. Parasitic vessels deployed," Major Niobi said.

"Vitic is red. Parasitic vessels deployed," Colonel T'Lita Noir said.

Major T'Naga deployed Nero and the other robots, and they worked on fixing the ship. Captain Jade stood right by her when the Major took charge. When Lieutenant Iobi flew into the bay, Major T'Naga flew over to him, and said, "I need you to search for T'Nead. See if you can detect her telepathically."

When Major T'Naga walked over to the group of officers, she said, "I need a count of all your soldiers."

"Who the hell are you?" Captain Sebi T'Noi said.

"Shut up, and do it," Captain Jade said, "You see her ring."

When Major T'Dank walked over to the group, he said, "Do exactly what Major T'Naga ask of you. This is not the time for big heads."

"Captain Jade, is it possible for Stoney to send a message to the General?" She asked.

"I'm not sure," she said, "I will fly down to the planet, and ask."

Captain Jade hopped into her ship, and flew to the planet. Everything looked peaceful. The Kryptonians went about their day, and didn't realize the raucous that happened above the planet. She landed her ship directly in front of the cave, and then asked, "Stoney, can you send a message to the General?"

"He's on Brion Noir," Stoney said, "That's too far for the General to reach us."

"There has to be away," she said, "We were attacked by the Lanterns. The entire fleet is on alert."

Stoney whispered to her telepathically, and said, "I can send a message to conscious planets close to us, and in a few days, he'll get the message."

"Let's try it, Stoney," she said, "He would want to know about this."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

When the Demon entered into Brion-Noir space, two, beat-up Galactic cruisers escorted the Demon to the planet. Captain Diggle sat in the pilot's chair, and she wore the brain helmet. "We're within six thousand kilometers of Brion-Noir, sir," Captian Diggle said.

"Set an orbit around the planet, Captain," he said. He looked over at Lieutenant Knight, and said, "Open a secure line to the Planetary Council."

The General looked over at Colonel T'Nalia, and then she said, "Deploy parasitic vessels."

This following communication happened in the background while the General talked to the Planetary Council.

"Bridge, this is the Taenia. Ready," Fifth Classmen T'Nalia said.

"Deploy, Taenia," Niona said.

"Taenia out," Fifth Classmen T'Nalia said.

"Bridge, this is the Saginata, Ready," Fifth Classmen Nada said.

"Deploy, Saginata," Niona said.

"Saginata out," Fifth Classmen said.

"Line open, sir," Lieutenant Knight said with her hair in a fashionable ponytail.

"Bring them up on the screen, Lieutenant," the General said.

"Yes, sir," Lieutenant Knight said, "On screen now."

"Brions, I'm General T'McGinnis working on behalf of Doraxia," he said, "We've come to save your planet."

"My name is President Ova Eta. I hope your technology can make a difference, General, we've tried everything to restart the core, but nothing."

"I believe Blue technology will have an auspicious outcome. However, we will terraform Vista Noir, and make the planet livable for Brion-Noir citizens. We will set up several transporters on Brion-Noir, and transport citizens to Vista Noir."

"Who will we send to Vista Noir?" President Ova Eta asked.

"The complete terraforming will take three months," the General said, "This is enough time to compile a list of your best and brightest. We'd like to send at least ten million over."

"Roger that," President Ova Eta said.

"General T'McGinnis out," the General said. "Cut the line, Lieutenant Knight."

He whispered telepathically to Niona, and asked, "Find out why none of my Lanterns are deployed? There are Lanterns all over the damn ship, and not one of them are on patrol."

Niona immediately walked off the Bridge, over to the the crew hovels, and slid open Captain Praga's door. He had Lieutenant Drioga bent over the bed, and they were engaged in coitus. When he looked back at the Lieutenant Colonel, she grabbed him, and slammed him to the floor. "I can't believe you're sitting here fucking your Lieutenant instead of having her on patrol," she screech. She looked over at Lieutenant Drioga, and went deep into her mind. She caused her to pass out on the floor. "You're not going to make, Major," the Lieutenant Colonel said. "You've embarrassed me in front of the General."

"Sorry, ma'am," he said.

"Get your ass dressed, and take the first shift," she said.

"But I"m overwatch," he said.

"Not today. Be out the door in five minutes," Niona said.

"What about her?" He asked.

"Worry about your damn self," she said, "Now get your ass on point."

Back on the bridge…

"Sorry about that, sir," Niona said telepathically to the General. "But Captain Praga isn't performing to standard."

"We have to get him up to code," the General said telepathically. "I don't want to deny him his next rank if he's fit to hold it."

"I'll try the counseling statement approach to correct his behavior," she said telepathically. "It's the best way."

"Bridge, this is the Cestoda. Ready," Captain Praga said.

"Deploy, Cestoda," Niona said.

"Cestoda out," Captain Praga said.

The General sat in the command chair, and T'Nalia stood at his right side, and she had a list of objectives that she sent directly to his palm computer. "I think this will be the best solution."

Jimmy pulled up the list, and looked at several objectives. "Would the World Creator benefit this mission?"

"Not really," she said, "It's going to take three months to terraform Vista Noir regardless of the ship doing it. We have enough shuttles to do any minor work needed."

"You're right," he said, "We can't start the core until we're sure we have the ten million Brions on Vista."

"Okay, Demon crew," Jimmy said over the ship's intercom, "We''re preparing to move out in one hour. All parasitic vessels back in the ship. Vista Noir is four hours away at warp two." He looked over at T'Nalia, and asked, "What will be the best time to start tomorrow?" He asked.

"Wake up around five in the morning, breakfast, and then we start the process at eight o'clock," she said.

"Lieutenant Colonel, does that sound doable?" The General asked.

"Yes, sir,' she said.

"Did everybody on the ship hear the plan?" He asked.

He heard the screaming through the ship's walls because of his super hearing, and then he said, "Don't let me find out you're tardy for any assigned duties tomorrow. I want my parasitic vessels patrolling. I want my Lanterns on point. I want everybody working for the good of Doraxia on this mission. Do not do anything to embarrass your General, Command Staff, and Officers appointed over you. And most of all, don't do anything that brings shame to Doraxia. NCOs, you're the backbone of the Old Guard. You're setting the example for the younger soldiers. Lastly, may all your theories hold up to scrutiny, and if they don't, then may the findings result in a better tomorrow. "

"Amen to that," T'Nalia said.

Later in the evening, the Demon orbited Vista Noir, and it pretty much looked like a large, lifeless rock. Jimmy thought about his meeting with President Ova Eta, but it was the President's appearance that left an indelible mark on his mind. He was rail thin. His eyes were huge because his face was emaciated. When Jimmy first saw him, he thought his appearance was ghastly, and he tried to think about how he could get his people a large quantity of food.

Jimmy and T'Nalia sat in the Officer's lounge, and Niona was still on the bridge writing up Captain Praga's reprimand. He sat with his First for a friendly coze, a few drinks, and some after-hours cuddling. "What's the logistics behind feeding ten billion people?" He asked his wife.

"With the amount of replicator rations we have, we could produce ten million meals," she said, "We'd have to depend on other worlds."

"We don't have any allies in this region," he said, "Niona showed me some star maps, and we have Iridia about six light years from here."

"They're not a unified world," she said, "They have different colored people who are of the same race, but they refer to them as different races."

"Is that bad?" He asked.

"They're using skin as a means to be separate," she said.

"Should this problem stand in the way of our needs?" Jimmy asked.

"Honey, we have to be cautious as to not do business with nations who only have sub-warp technology," she said. She placed her palm computer on the table, and a diagram of the galaxy appeared in three-d. "Right here," she said as she pointed to the solar system towards the bottom. "This little dot is Moxia." She paused for a moment, and then said, "Computer, bring Moxia up on the screen." Suddenly, a beautiful globe appeared, and it listed the population as four hundred billion people. "This world knows all about exporting to other worlds."

"It's like a thousand times bigger than Earth," he said, "I never imagined a world having four hundred billion people."

"It's so much land mass on Moxia that there are entire regions the size of your earth that aren't populated. It would take one thousand years to traverse the entire planet at the rate of nine hundred miles per hour."

"Incredible," Jimmy said. He clicked on his communicator, and put in a special code. It was the code needed to communicate directly with the Planetary Council on Brion-Noir. "President Ova Eta, this is General T'McGinnis."

"Yes, General?" He asked. The puzzled look on his face didn't phase Jimmy at all.

"Your people are on the brink of starvation," he said with a grimace. "How much money can you spare if we were able to get Moxia to supply the food?"

"Maybe a couple of million in gold bars," he said.

"That'll feed a billion people beans, rice, and grains," T'Nalia said. "It's a start."

"Give what you can, and we'll try to get your people some food," Jimmy said, "If you're starving, then they must be really hurting."

"Thank you, sir," he said, "All of our allies forsakened us after the war."

"Doraxia is on the job now, and we don't forsaken our allies," he said. "We'll be coming to Brion in a few weeks with the contracts, and we'll discuss my interests at that time."

"Again, General, Brion will give you whatever you need," he said.

"Thank you, sir," Jimmy said, "General T'McGinnis, out." He turned to his wife, and said, "From the kickbacks I received from bringing the ten nations under Lantern protection, I have nearly five hundred billion in gold. I think I could supply grains for the entire planet."

"For around forty billion, you could feed them until we finish the project," she said, "If you think that'll be best."

"What are you thinking?" Jimmy asked.

She paused for a moment. "We must expand beyond our current sector of space, and Brion-Noir is perfect for a Doraxian outpost."

Jimmy and T'Nalia sat in the Officer's Lounge for a few more hours drinking, and he felt the weight of the drinks on his bladder. T'Nalia laid her legs on his lap while he drank, and when he looked over at her, her back was against the wall, and she was sound asleep. He looked over at her for a moment, and felt jilted because now she wouldn't want sex, and they had made plans for a few drinks, some chitchat, and then sex. It wasn't the first time that she had wiggled her way out of having sex, and since he married Niona, she left her to do all the dirty work. She'd never admit it, but Jimmy wasn't ignorant to her get-out-of-sex-with-Jimmy machinations. She'd feign sleep, cramps, soreness, feeding the kids or whatever it took to hand her sex nights over to Niona. She wouldn't admit it, but it frustrated him.

When he carried her back to their hovel, he laid her on the bed, and watched her for a moment. She didn't snore at all, and she looked peaceful in her garrison, Lantern uniform. When he waved his hand across her body, she was almost completely nude except for her panties. He raised her off the bed with his telekinesis, pulled back the blankets, and then covered her back up. He laid his head on the pillow, and realized sex with T'Nalia on designated days and times felt obligatory, but it had to do with her ascetic ways. She was the one who came up with the sex schedule, and Niona wasn't restricted by it. When Jimmy wanted sex with T'Nalia, she'd tell him, "It's not one of our designated days." He filled out his sex calendar for two years, and he'd write in the calendar whenever she had a reason for not having sex with him. He'd also put on the calendar if he went to Niona for relief. Sometimes he wondered if her austerity was rooted in neglecting him, but that was his mind wandering to his childhood, and thinking back to how Vivian's nonsense would interrupt a good barbeque.

When Terry and Jessica threw a BBQ on Jimmy's tenth birthday party, Vivian suddenly wanted to be a Muslim, and refused to eat Terry's tender pork steaks. It was already hard enough to adhere to all of Jimmy's needs, and then drugged-out Vivian made her own list of demands, and had everybody in a tiff. When she went on her I'm-A-Muslim rants for a year, it made everybody uncomfortable. She didn't want to eat Jello because it was made with pig stuff. The family dealt with Vivian's nonsense because Mrs. Hall passed, and she took it the hardest. Sometimes Jimmy felt like people converted to Islam or became a vegan to torture the people they loved. Well, sometimes T'Nalia was the same way when it came to her ascetic lifestyle. Jimmy couldn't complain because he knew the deal when he married her.

He wanted to have sex a couple of times a day, but she said, "We shouldn't have sex more than three times a week because of my ascetic lifestyle." Even though she usually gave him sex more than three times a week, she didn't hesitate to use that excuse when convenient. When Niona taught him how to arouse her telepathically, and made her climax repeatedly, he tried it on T'Nalia. Even though she liked it a lot, her ascetic ways made her refrain from it. In all honesty, her ascetic ways were a defense mechanism to a certain degree. Niona eventually told him to be extremely careful, and only arouse a non-telepath telepathically every once in awhile. He laughed for a moment while he lay next to his wife because he was insatiable when it came to sex. He pushed T'Nalia into the hallway closet, locked it, and they made love for fifteen minutes before they arrived to the lounge. He felt ashamed of himself because she never denied him sex like she was keeping him from it, and she had already met his needs for the day. They had shower sex that very morning.

He rolled out of bed, and walked next door to his Second's hovel, and Niona still wasn't in her room. He spoke to her telepathically, and asked, "Honey, where are you?"

"Working on this reprimand," she said telepathically. "I'm proofreading it now."

"It's a little after nine," he said telepathically. "Are you okay to come sleep with T'Nalia and I tonight?"

"What's wrong?" She asked.

"I just haven't spent any time with you today, and I'm craving your touch," he said telepathically. "I just want to feel the warmth of your body."

"I'll be there is a little bit," she said telepathically. "Please freshen up a bit."

"Yes, ma'am," he said telepathically.

Jimmy took a quick shower, placed on some deodorant, and put on some of the oils Niona purchased him, and waited for her. He watched T'Nalia sleep, and she was a beautiful blue. She wore some nice, black panties that fit her perfectly, and he gently traced her body. He placed his forehead against the back of her head, and crept his way into her mind. When he entered her dream, he realized that he had been in her mind on a previous occasion. It had happened by accident before he knew how to control his telepathic ability. She sat on the Glassco mountains with him by the large rock at the very top. They ate Madi meat and pip eggs, and she wore her brown, utilitarian dress, the one she wore when they conceived Raydon. It was a serene time for Jimmy as well as T'Nalia, and because it was her place of peace, he backed out of her head, and sat against the headboard. After seeing her dream, the desire to ravish her sexually waned because her tranquility was paramount to his sexual wants. He knew Glassco Mountain was her favorite place in the Universe, and the fact he was with her said a lot. He felt good knowing he was included in her quietness, in her solace, and in her trouble-free dream place. It was that one moment that stressed Jimmy because when he closed his eyes, his calmness involved two women: T'Nalia and Niona. He felt sorry for both women because if they read his mind, they'd always see the man they loved with one other woman. It was the way of things. He looked through the ship with his supervision, and saw his beloved at the door. She slid her hand across the door, and it opened because she had access to his room as he did hers. T'Nalia had the same access. She wrapped herself in an unemotional robe, a garment made for an old maid. It was because she didn't want anybody on the ship seeing her womanly beauty. She had desirable curves, and Neonotium women attached themselves for life to one man. When he consummated his relationship with Niona, he had already given it ten years of thought in the current universe. In the other Universe, they were forty-five years of age when they consummated the relationship, and Jimmy did it with the knowledge that she was already committed to him for life.

When the Sapphires attacked the scientific vessel on the way to Doraxia, he saw Niona, a thirteen-year-old girl, and he knew she was already attached to him. He was barely fourteen, and she was almost fourteen.

Niona dropped her granny robe, and underneath that was pure eloquence. Her black, see-through gown enticed him, but he wanted to keep it nice. He didn't want to ravish her body with T'Nalia in the same bed. He thirst for her badly, and desired to take her through the Neonotium Mating Ritual, but Brion Noir was too important to lose his LTC for two weeks. His lust for her was so overwhelming that he asked, "Are you artificially enticing me?" He asked telepathically.

"Yes," she said.

She pushed her firm buttocks against his bulge, and then he said telepathically, "Is it okay to just hold each other."

She looked back at him, and asked telepathically, "Are you okay?"

"Every time we're together, it's about the sex," he said telepathically. "We talk all day every day on a mental level, but I want to demonstrate to myself that I can be around my angels without sex."

Niona turned around, touched his face, and then softly pushed her forehead against his. A light came out of her forehead, and went into his. She purposely massaged the part of his brain to cause a massive climax throughout his entire body. She climbed on top of him, and continued to push her telepathic powers into his mind until he screamed.

T'Nalia rolled over, and said, "Don't be trying to kill our husband." Jimmy was still bowing his back, and then he went completely limp.

"He's okay now," Niona said. T'Nalia laid her head on his chest, and Niona pushed her warm buttocks up against him, and then they all fell asleep.

The Next Morning…

Jimmy awoke around six o'clock in the morning, showered, and immediately took the command seat, and he read over Niona's reprimand for Captain Praga. It was a rebuke of the Captain's performance, and Jimmy wanted it to be brutal because he needed Captain Praga to understand the importance of the parasitic vessels. When it came to an engagement with a powerful enemy vessel, the parasitic ships were the difference between life and death.

Captain T'Larry was on the night crew, and he was on communications. He was a frumpy, Old Guard soldier who wore wrinkled uniforms because he was on the nightshift. It was obvious by his appearance that the General needed to meet his night crew. He wanted them spit shined like the day crew. He didn't care too much for a lack luster soldier who wore wrinkled uniforms and dull boots.

"Captain T'Larry, who's the Lantern on duty?" the General asked.

"It's the Whipworm, sir, so it's Lieutenant Prola," he said.

"Anything to report?" The General asked.

"Just a little storm on Vista Noir," he said, "But no alien vessels in the area."

Lieutenant T'Ragis was an Old Guard soldier who sat in the pilot seat on the night crew, and he was better dressed than Captain T'Larry. All the Old Guard soldiers were slightly overweight, but as long as their stomachs didn't protrude over their beltline, he lived with it.

Niona walked onto the Bridge with a plate of food for the General, and he walked into the break room, and enjoyed his meal. His LTC sat with him while he ate, and was talking to him telepathically.

"What did you think of the reprimand?" She asked telepathically.

"It was written exactly how I wanted it," he said telepathically. "I'm glad you emphasized the importance of the parasitic ships."

"I saw what you gave Major T'Dank, and went off that format," she said telepathically.

"I'm worried about the Dragon," he said telepathically, "I don't feel Major T'Dank is the right man for that job."

T'Nalia walked into the break room with her food, and sat beside Jimmy, and said, "The Madi meat is exceptional this morning."

"That's from your father's stock right?" Niona asked.

"I believe so," she said.

"I've been hooked on Madi meat for twelve years now," Jimmy said. "Well, that's Earth years."

"Dang," T'Nalia said. "You've done so much in a short amount of time."

"I wouldn't have been able to do anything without you two being by my side," he said, "That's the reality of it."

Niona said telepathically, "I want to see my boys when we're finished with this mission."

"You don't have to ask that," he said telepathically, "As soon as we're back in Doraxian space, we're going to see our kids." He looked over at T'Nalia, "We're going to see the kids when we're done with this mission."

"You mean in the In Between?" She asked. She placed the back of her right hand on his left cheek.

"Yes," he said.

"Okay," she said.

He whispered to Niona telepathically, "You have a lot more pregnancies in this lifetime."

"That's nine kids," she whispered telepathically. "We only had eight kids."

"Your doppleganger is pregnant while in stasis," he said telepathically. T'Nalia walked on the Bridge, and Jimmy walked around the table, and kissed Niona on the back of her neck. "As soon as we're done with this mission, we must make a baby a year until you take the Academy."

"We were so much older the last time," she said telepathically, "We're only twenty-six."

He placed his hands on her shoulders, and then said telepathically, "I have no explanation for this." He sat beside her. "I just want all my kids back, Niona. With us. On the Demon," he said telepathically.

"A ship is no place for children," she said telepathically.

"Karen adjusted," he said telepathically.

She laughed. "She's a weapon. We've all adopted her," she said telepathically. "Are you sure you want to send her away in a few months?"

"I have to," he said telepathically. "She'll spend six years in the Lantern course, and then she's commanding her own vessel."

"She'll only be twenty," she said telepathically. "I guess with all her training that she's probably one of the best trained Lanterns we have."

"She's our daughter now. We're all responsible for her." He paused for a moment. "She's Earth's best hope, Niona," he said telepathically "If my father can't find Superman or Wonder Women, she's humanity's last chance."

"There's Captain Diggle," Niona said telepathically. "Will you give her a ship?"

"I'm not going to lie," he said telepathically. "I've been babying Captain Diggle." He paused for a moment. "She spent her entire life in that damn hospital bed with hardly any visitors." He cried a little. "I don't want to let her go, Niona."

"You have to let her grow, honey," she whispered telepathically.

He placed his head on the table, and then whispered telepathically, "I've assigned her the Peace Maker (Demon Class)."

"Whoa! COS signed off on that?" She asked telepathically.

"Yeah." He paused, and then said telepathically, "T'Nalia knows about this, and I told her I would tell you, but I paid all the COS members twenty million in gold a piece to sign off on the Peacemaker because it's secure like the Demon." Gently, he slid his fingers through her hair. When she closed her eyes, he telepathically aroused the pleasure center of her brain, and her entire body palpated. He applied a little more pressure than usual, and her body contorted until she wet her pants. She laid in his arms for a moment.

"You're a dirty dog, Jimmy," she said, "Now I have to change my clothes."

"That's for last night," he whispered telepathically. "I was trying to be all lovable, and then you screw me mentally." He smiled.

Niona kissed him on the lips, and then darted out of the room. Jimmy walked over to the robot, and he cleaned the entire kitchen. When Jimmy walked onto the Bridge, T'Nalia asked, "Where's Niona?"

"She wet her pants," he said telepathically.

She laughed. "You two masochists need to quit torturing each other," she thought, "Don't do that to me." He walked over to her, and placed his left hand against her right cheek. "Parasitic vessels, deploy," she said.

"Demon, terraforming mode," Jimmy said.

"Terraforming mode on," the computer said.

Niona walked onto the bridge, and said, "The General wants two Lanterns on point, Captain."

"Sir, can I work with the Lanterns?" Captain Diggle asked.

He looked over at NIona, and whispered telepathically, "Tell Praga Captain Diggle is in the rotation."

"What about me?" Karen asked.

"I guess I can do my on communications," The General said.

"You should stay, Karen," T'Nalia said.

"It's okay, honey. It's a golden opportunity for some training," he said.

"Okay then," T'Nalia said, "Niona, two Bridge officers in the rotation."

"Sweet," Karen said.

"Captain Praga, I have two Bridge officers joining in the rotation," she said over the intercom.

"Thank you, ma'am," he said, "It will definitely alleviate some stress."

When the two officers left the Bridge, Jimmy looked over at T'Nalia, and asked, "Stress?"

"Once the terraforming begins, we're running Lantern drills," she said, "If he's stressed now, he's going to be bed ridden by the end of the drills."

"He's having a hard time because of the reprimand," Niona said with a smirk. "I kind of feel sorry for him."

"Why's that?" Jimmy asked.

"I know you're going to torture him for the next three months," she said. "The soldiers call it, 'The General's Love'."

"Oh. They say, 'There's nothing more painful than the General's love.''" T'Nalia said.

"That's what Vivian said to me when I told her I ride her the hardest because I love her like family," he said laughingly. "She turned to me, and said, 'There's nothing more painful than the General's love."

"We've all felt it," Niona said.

T'Nalia started laughing, and then Jimmy laughed. "It's like a blow in the gut sometimes," T'Nalia said.

"In my case, it's more like a karate chop," Niona said.

"Oh now," Jimmy said, "You two are my entire world."

"It's almost eight," Niona said.

"Okay. Computer, in five minutes start terraforming Vista Noir," Jimmy said.

"The Initial blast is only four hours, but it'll take one month for the planet to cook," T'Nalia said. "That's Doraxian time." T'Nalia sat on Jimmy's lap, and then she waved for Niona to do the same. She ran over to him, and sat on his other knee. T'Nalia's palm computer flew into the air, and took a picture of them. "It's going to be a beautiful blue."

"I can't wait," Niona said. "I've never seen this process."

The computer started the countdown, and Jimmy waited for the beam to start. Niona sat forward on his right knee while T'Nalia was on the other one. They wore their basic, black garrison uniforms, and so did Jimmy. When the ship fired the ray into the planet, T'Nalia's palm computer took several pictures of the first family of space, and then Jimmy said, "Not to cause any pain, but I love you ladies with all my heart."

T'Nalia and Niona walked over to the viewing screen, and got a closer look at the beam and Jimmy sat back in the command chair. The Code Breaker was attached atop the Demon, and Jimmy wanted to travel to Moxia to negotiate food for the Brions.

"T'Nalia, you have the Bridge," Jimmy said.

"You and Niona heading to a closet?" She asked.

He laughed. "That's not a bad idea, but no. I need to find out more about the Brions on a personal level," he said. He walked over to his wives, and placed his hands on their faces, and then walked off the bridge. When he walked into his hovel, he took off his clothes, and turned his shower into a cozy steam room. He liked the way the steamy water beat against his skin. It helped him concentrate on the Brions, and allowed for his conscience to travel to Brion Noir. The planet's atmosphere felt murky and almost surreal in nature. He could smell the dead in the air, and the cries of the mourners. The atmosphere had an orange tint to it, and he thought it was from the planet's inability to recycle the waste and pollution. The people he saw were decrepit in every way imaginable, including the children. They had boils on their bodies that were possibly cancerous. He burrowed down to the core of the planet, and could feel Brion's innards, and then he felt a burst of energy.

"I feel you," a voice said telepathically.

"Who is this?"Jimmy asked telepathically.

"I'm the one dying," the voice said, "I am Lyra the god of the Brions."

"You're their planet?" Jimmy asked telepathically.

"Yes," she said telepathically. "A great war happened, and the enemy used a horrible weapon on me."

"Lyra, do you know who I am?" Jimmy asked telepathically.

"No," she said telepathically. "I felt your powerful mind, and thought it was nice there was another conscience out there. I only have a little time left."

"When you say a little time left, what do you mean?" He asked telepathically.

"Maybe a year. Maybe less," she said telepathically, "Death is imminent."

"I'm here for you, Lyra," Jimmy said telepathically. "I traveled across the galaxy to save you."

"Why?" She asked telepathically.

"Do you like stories, Lyra?" Jimmy asked telepathically.

"Of course," she said telepathically.

The Story of T'Nalia and The Yellow Lanterns

I had a great enemy on my world who hated me with all his heart. Not only was he my enemy, but I was made with his blood and in his very image. My father attacked me with a weapon so powerful that it had the ability to destroy a world. When he shot me with the weapon, it caused a rip in space and time, and threw the entire universe off course. A magnanimous race of scientist called Doraxians took me aboard their ship, but didn't understand that I was a weapon dead or alive. They thought I was simple space debris, and didn't take the proper precautions when they handled me. Eight, good Doraxians died because they touched me.

The scientists were so afraid and curious with me that they called their newly minted Green Lantern to ensure I didn't awake and kill everybody aboard the ship. They didn't know that I was a generous boy who would never hurt them, for I had dreams of the Doraxians my entire life.

When the young Lantern left Oa to intersect with the Doraxian ship, she received a distress call from a planet called Thoraxia because they were under attack by three, powerful Yellow Lanterns from Brion Noir, your world, Lyra. When the Green Lantern fought with the three Yellow Lanterns, she defeated them with ease, and dispatched them. In the world of the Green Lanterns, helping a world from a threat comes at a healthy price, and since Thoraxia couldn't pay that price, the Green Lantern had to send in the Manbots to enslave millions of their race. It hurt her heart to do this, but it was the law of the Green Lantern Corp. When this Green Lantern intersected with the Doraxian vessel, months had passed, and I finally awoke from my coma. When I saw her, I immediately realized that she was one of my wives I had dreamed about my entire life. Later, a legion of Sapphires would try to attack me, and I met my second wife for the first time.

After I married my wife, I found out my homeworld was under the rule of thousands of people with powers like mine. At the same time, I had to wait for my wife to be truthful about the ring of the Destroyer. She was holding it for me, and it took her three years to tell me about it. When we took flight with a powerful ship called the Blue Demon, we discussed what the three Lanterns had done to Thoraxia. They had killed two billion Thoraxians because they wanted to make a new world for their people. I researched about you Lyria, and it broke my heart that you were dying, and I told the Universe that you were a priority to me. With the help of my wives, I built a great organization that setout to do good in the Universe, and that's why I'm here, Lyra.

End of Story

"I'm frightened of you, Jimmy," Lyra said in a somber voice.

"I know I destroyed you on the other timeline," he whispered telepathically. "In the other timeline, Brion attacked Doraxia because they were allied with the Green Lanterns, and I killed you Lyra."

"Are you a god, Jimmy?" She asked.

"I don't see myself that way," he whispered telepathically. "I rewound time, so I could fix all the damage I caused."

"You did a lot," she said telepathically. "I heard the cries of trillions over the deaths of billions. You did that."

"I know, Lyra," he said telepathically. "Only the people with our powers know what I did on the alternate timeline, but I won't do it again."

"Why did you do it?" She asked.

"The Lantern Corp killed my wife," He said telepathically. "Then they destroyed her body."

"So you killed billions?" She asked.

"Once a body is destroyed I can't bring it back to life," he said, "So, I went to war over it."

"Then you are a god," she said.

"No. I fall under the laws of the universe," he said, "I work within the realm of science."

"You're a modest god," she said telepathically, "Not a hubristic bone in your body."

Jimmy walked out of the shower, dried off, and donned his solid black, form-fitting uniform, and walked back to the Bridge. "So, I scanned you, Lyra, with my telepathic energy, and I'm only counting fifty million people," he said telepathically, "How many beings are on your world?"

"About that," she said, "The toxic air is killing them. The ones who aren't dead are very sick."

"Okay," he said telepathically. "I'm returning to Brion within the next few hours."

"Thank you, Jimmy," she said.

The Bridge was quiet. T'Nalia sat in the Command Chair, and Niona was analyzing the surface of Vista Noir. Jimmy sat in the pilot seat, and then said, "If we don't act now, the Brions will be extinct within a month."

"We scanned the planet, and the sensors counted ten billion people," T'Nalia said. "We can wait the three months."

"I'm counting fifty million," he said in a normal tone. "They're dying rapidly."

Niona pushed several buttons on her console, and then said, "That's odd. It read fifty million people at first, but then it jump to ten billion."

"Call all parasitic ships back," Jimmy said. He stood to his feet, and called up Brion Noir's President. When the withered man appeared on the screen, Jimmy asked, "President Ova Eta, why are my ship's sensors reading ten billion Brions when my telepathic mind senses fifty million?"

"Parasitic vessels, this is Colonel T'Nalia. Return to the ship, and prepare to depart."

He looked astonished for a moment. "We don't want to appear weak to our hostile neighbors," he said. His voice cracked with every word.

"I spoke with, Lyra," Jimmy said in a normal voice.

"You spoke with our mythical deity?" He asked. "She's merely fiction, a story told to our children."

Jimmy laughed. "She's your planet, President. She has a conscience, and she's prepared to die."

"I thought you were a man of science, General," he said.

"I am, but your planet has a conscience," Jimmy said. He looked over at Niona for a second, and then said telepathically to Lyra, "Can you send President Ova Eta a message?"

"I can shake his building," she said.

"Lyra told me she'll shake your building," he said.

The President laughed, and then his building shook, and he had a look of awe on his face. "How did you do that?"

"Lyra did it," he said.

"Oh, General," he said, "You're playing games."

"I don't believe in gods, President, but your planet has a conscience," he said, "We'll just leave it at that."

"All ships are in the bay, sir," T'Nalia said.

Jimmy looked over at Niona, and said telepathically, "Prepare the Transwarp drive."

'Preparing the Transwarp drive," Niona said.

Captain Diggle and Lieutenant Knight walked onto the Bridge, and Jimmy said, "I will pilot us back to Brion."

"Yes, sir," she said.

Jimmy looked over at his wife for a moment.

"Demon, prepare for Transwarp," she said.

Every deck of the ship had one person designated to warn other soldiers that the Demon was preparing to jump. "Preparing to jump!" Reverberated throughout the entire ship.

"Computer, jump to Brion Noir," Jimmy ordered.

Suddenly, the entire bridge had several brownouts in a matter of seconds, and they were in front of the orange ball call Brion Noir.

"How much gamma radiation is on the planet?" Jimmy asked.

Niona looked through her visor, and said, "Minimal."

"I'm going to the core of the planet, and restart it with my ring," Jimmy said.

"Jimmy, that's dangerous even for you," Niona said.

"These people are dying," he said. "I must act now."

Niona had a look of stress on her face, and said, "I don't like this, Jimmy."

"Do you feel the same, T'Nalia?" Jimmy asked.

"Niona, what's the problem?" She asked.

"He wants to put all his energy into Lrya, and heal her," she said, "It's a planet. It'll drain him. It may kill him."

"Jimmy, we have the Demon for this," T'Nalia said.

"How long will that take?" He asked.

"About two weeks to hit the core," she said.

"I can reach the core in two hours," he said, "I'm going."

He placed the back of his right hand to Niona's left cheek, and she was hesitant to return the gesture. "Come back to us, husband."

He walked over to T'Nalia, and did the same thing.

"Niona," he said telepathically. "If I'm drained completely, you know what must be done. Don't let T'Nalia leave without retrieving me from the sun."

"This isn't my first rodeo," she said telepathically.

"You just make sure you help T'Nalia through the pain of this," he said. Jimmy flew down to the orange planet with his parasitic Lantern vessel, and the atmosphere was horrible. He could barely see because of all the haze. He used his super vision to cut his way through the quagmire, and noticed there wasn't one bird flying anywhere. He landed the ship in the southern hemisphere, and it looked like a desolate world, barren as far as his eyes could see. "I'll tell you when I'm at the core," he said telepathically to Niona. "Once I'm at the core, I will start the rotation, and I might lose conscience. You have to pull me up."

"I will without hesitation," she said.

Jimmy walked away from his ship, over to a low point in the planes, and started his descent to the center of Brion Noir. He spun through all the hard dirt, and it melted like butter. "Lyra, can you feel me drilling into you?" He asked telepathically.

"Yes," she said.

"Please tell me if I spin off course," he said.

"You're right on course," she said telepathically, "You're already halfway there."

After two hours of drilling, he told Niona that he was at the core, and it was damaged by the gamma radiation. He drilled until he was at the outer core, and noticed that it wasn't rotating. He used his ring, and hit it with an insurmountable amount of energy, and the outer core rotated clockwise. He then pushed his way to the inner core, and was completely covered in molten lava. It poured all over him, and he used his ring to force it to rotate counter-clockwise. Once everything flowed, his golden aurora encompassed the entire, inner core, and sent a healing vibe throughout the whole planet. He flew back up the hole until he surfaced, and Niona was standing near his vessel. She came down in the Code Breaker. He stripped off all his clothes, and thrusted all of his energies into Lyra for as long as he could hold it. His healing powers flooded the entire world, and the rivers flowed, the Oceans rose, and it started to rain. He imbued Lyra with so much of his energy that he appeared emaciated, and when he walked towards his wife, he collapsed.

Moments Later…

Niona ran over to her beloved, and he lay on the ground in front of her; his face was emaciated and he looked shriveled like he was long dead. T'Nalia descended without a ship, and when she ran upon her husband, she screamed to die with him. She hadn't ever seen Jimmy use all of his powers like Niona had because she was with him when he went to war with worlds, and eliminated them with just his natural powers. T'Nalia laid beside her husband, and wouldn't let him go. Niona had to force T'Nalia off Jimmy because she wouldn't let him go.

"T'Nalia, please," she said with a grimace. "Get off of him so I can complete my task."

"What do you mean?" She asked.

"I must throw him into the yellow sun," she said. "It will restore him."

"But he's dead," she said.

Niona looked at her for a moment, and then said, "You're the Commander now, and you need to control yourself."

"I can't do this," she said. She squinted her eyes, and began to cry.

"He's depending on you," she said, "Now come with me on the Codebreaker, and we'll throw him into the sun together."

Once Niona placed her husband in the Codebreaker, she laid him on their bed, and flew him to the sun. Once she was about two thousand miles from the floating, yellow furnace, she placed her right hand on Jimmy's left cheek, and said, "Come back to me soon."

She looked over at T'Nalia , and said, "He expects you to touch his cheek."

"But he's gone," she said.

"He's not gone," she snapped. "Now do your duty, and wish him well."

T'Nalia wailed. She slowly touched his cheek, and Niona shook her head in frustration.

"My goodness, T'Nalia," she said, "You break Jimmy's heart, and I'll never forgive you. Now you tell him you love him."

T'Nalia placed the back of her right hand against his left cheek, and said, "Come back to me soon, honey."

Niona flew out the Codebreak with Jimmy's body in the aura of her ring. T'Nalia came out with her, and they looked down at Jimmy one more time. Niona whispered telepathically to T'Nalia, and said, "He's telling me he loves us, and will see us in a month." She then used her ring to toss Jimmy into the sun, and the fury furnace engulfed his body.

When they returned to the ship, T'Nalia was catatonic. She sat in the middle of the Code Breaker's bridge, and didn't say anything at all. For the entire trip back to the Demon, she didn't utter a sound. Niona fastened the ship on the Demon, and T'Nalia wouldn't move.

"You're the Commander now," Niona said, "You must show strength."

"I don't want to be here, Niona," she said, "Throw me into the sun with my Jimmy."

Niona looked at her for a moment. "You understand he will return to us, right?"

"He's dead," she said.

She paused for a moment. Then she said telepathically, "Jimmy, if you can hear me, please talk to T'Nalia. She's losing it."

"I will try," Jimmy said telepathically. "In this weaken state, I have a hard time talking to non-telepaths."

"You have to, honey," she said telepathically. "She's losing it."

"I'll try," he said telepathically.

Niona looked over at T'Nalia, and she began to wail for a moment. "Jimmy is speaking to me," she said. She laid back on the ground laughing and crying at the same time, but Niona knew everything would be alright now. She looked over at Niona, and said, "Let's start with our Lantern drills. I think that will keep people's minds off the General's absence." T'Nalia crawled through the hole, and down into the Demon, and Niona followed behind her.

"Thank you, Jimmy," Niona said telepathically.

"I must rest," he said telepathically. "Please take care of each other."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Deep Cover

(The First Intelligence Officer)

The first time T'Nalia touched Jimmy sexually, she ejaculated him with the power of her Green, very powerful Lantern ring when he crept into her hovel during her nightly shower. Her room had a flowery scent that lured him into it. He waved his right hand across the sliding door, and it opened to a spacious hovel. The shower was running in the background, so he looked through the wall with his x-ray vision, and saw her sapphire colored body, and even though he tried to resist staring at her, he couldn't control his lust. When the heat of the shower smoked up the room, he inadvertently opened her shower door with his telekinetic powers, and pushed her violently against the glass. She tried to struggle away from his mental grip, and made an attempt to shoot him with the power of her ring. Jimmy pulled her out of the shower, and when she saw him, she turned her graphical cannon into a green rope, and her lust for him was just as passionate as his lust for her, and because of his deadly powers, she massaged him passionately through his protective pants. During those early days, he didn't have control of his Powers of Decay, and T'Nalia stood bare on the other side of the room, lassoing Jimmy's penis while he pleasured her with the power of his mind. When he climaxed, his semen ate through his protective suit, and endangered everybody on the science vessel. Immediately, T'Nalia took action to contain his shame before he killed everybody on the ship. She took a piece of Jimmy's protective suit, analyzed it, and replicated it with the replicator. She felt badly about the illicit sexual encounter, but Jimmy wouldn't let her display any regrets around him because it was the greatest moment of his entire life. He had never touched another being without killing them, and for the first time in his life, a beautiful woman made him feel like a man. It was serenity, a moment in his life that he cherished every day of his life. But when Niona threw him into the fiery inferno called the sun, its unbridle energy violated every pore and every inch of his body, and gave him a rush like nothing he had ever felt in his entire life. Within minutes of being in the healing radiance of the sun, he was completely healed, and if he had the willpower, he could have left stronger than when he arrived to the solar system. His conscience split apart, and he had one side who told him to enjoy the pleasure of the sun, and that anybody who tried to make him leave was his bitter enemy. But at the same time, he had another conscience that told him his wives and children needed him, and for some reason, the right entity wasn't very persuasive. It had a soft, monotonous voice, and Jimmy stopped listening to it almost immediately. The strong voice had him under its control, and it gave him all the pleasures of T'Nalia and Niona combined. Jimmy thrusted his telepathic energies into the sun, and it returned the favor like it had a conscience of its own.

Jimmy's inner thoughts from the alternate reality...

Jimmy's mind wandered back to his first Intelligence officer, and he never talked about her at all because she was hidden on Moxia. His wives didn't know anything about his first Intelligence Officer, and her name was Colonel Eoni Iobi, the older sister of Niona. He met her when he was thirty years old, and T'Nalia had recently given birth to their son Raydon. CheCha T'Naga was a Major and she had her intelligence detail roaming the halls of Glassco General Hospital to protect Colonel T'Nalia from terrorist marauders who developed a helmet that shielded their minds from Jimmy's telepathic powers. Jimmy declared war on the Green Lanterns after they destroyed Thoraxia two years earlier. The Thoraxian Army attacked two Lantern slave vessels who tried to sweep up another two boatloads of Thoraxians to take to Gynic, the slave market. Jimmy had vowed to stay out of the Green Lantern's business dealings for one reason: his wife was a Green Lantern. But when he felt two billion people perish at the same time, he vowed to revenge their deaths by crippling the Green Lanterns' allies. CheCha informed him that Brion Noir colluded with the Green Lanterns to financially cripple the Thoraxians, and the result ended in the enslavement of Thoraxia. Therefore, Jimmy took the Blue Demon to Brion Noir, and hit the planet with Gamma radiation, and stopped their planet's core, but he didn't destroy it. He warned their planet's future was tied to their choices.

After that incident, the Lanterns attacked Earth, dropped a Kryptonite bomb, and it killed Superman and his daughter Mia almost immediately. The Justice Corp scrambled their powerfulest members, and went to war against the Lanterns. They unleashed two Lantern battalions on Earth, and the Justice Corp was overwhelmed by their power rings. Jimmy Transwarped the Blue Demon to Earth, but the Justice Corp wouldn't follow his orders, and many of them perished at the hands of the Lanterns. He had tried to organize an assault on the Lanterns, but Doctor Hawkins wouldn't listen, and sent the Justice Corp on a suicide mission. Distraught, the remaining members languished in the United States of Africa, and let the Lanterns have the United States.

Jimmy had spent the last fifteen years studying Transwarp, Time warp, and Static Time Theory at Glassco University, and earned two doctorates: Transwarp Theory and Timewarp Theory. He grabbed a graduate degree in Military Covert Tactics. When the Justice Corp absconded from their duties, he encouraged Radiant Wasp, Green Glow, John Diggle, and Batman to help him fight the Lanterns with guerilla style tactics. It took approximately two months for the Green Lanterns to retreat, and it strained Jimmy's and T'Nalia's relationship. When the Lanterns tried to retreat from the battle, they headed back to their Battlecruisers, and when they did that, Jimmy ordered T'Naga to destroy the vessels.

"But what about the families aboard the ships?" She asked.

"We're in a war, Major," he screeched. "Fire on them now."

Suddenly, the night sky lit up in a blaze of fire. When the legion of Lanterns saw their ships falling out of the sky, Jimmy came up behind them, and sliced most of them in half with his Yellow power ring. Niona came around his back, and killed the rest of them. After that day, the people who saw the events called it "Blood Night."

"You killed them mercilessly," T'Nalia screamed. "You're out of control!"

"What should I have done?" Jimmy asked. He turned to his wife, and then said, "There was a time when I was willing to negotiate with these Green Lanterns." He said this with an unfeeling tone.

"I'm a Green Lantern," she snapped. "Do you wish me dead too?"

Jimmy looked over at Niona for a moment, and then said to his wife. "Today you have a choice to make."

Niona grabbed T'Nalia by her ring hand, and pulled it off. It happened so fast she didn't have a chance to react. She threw it to Jimmy, and when he touched it, it turned yellow. The ring flew back onto T'Nalia's hand, and her costume turned into a Yellow Lantern Uniform.

Angered, she snarled at her long time husband. "Jimmy, I don't want this," she said with anger in her voice. "Why are you and your second bullying me?"

"I've never asked you to follow me blindly, but you've seen the injustices in the Green Lantern Corp," he said, "It's time we start a Yellow Lantern Corp based on truth, freedom, and justice."

"I stand with Jimmy," Niona said. She flew to his side, and he placed his left arm around her. "We love you, T'Nalia. It hurts us to see you in the garb of the people who've sworn to kill us."

Checha flew down to the planet, and said, "I stand with the General too because he stands for freedom and liberation. "

Jimmy stretched out his free arm for his wife, and she sobbed for a moment. "There's a war being waged against us," she said softly, "If the Yellow Lantern Corp is for freedom, then I stand with my husband too." Her voice cracked, but Jimmy believed she'd stay true to the cause.

Jimmy watched CheCha quietly walk past T'Nalia's hospital room, and then he saw another humanoid walk behind her. He ran out of the room at superspeed, and then the alien turned towards him, and knocked him into the far wall. He hit Jimmy with some kind of device that took the wind out of him. It was the first time that anybody had hurt him like that. It upset him so badly that he tore one of the alien's legs off with his telekinesis. When he ran back into the room, he saw his son lying on the bed, but his wife was gone. He looked through the entire building, and saw her on the roof battling with a purple Lantern name V'ari. He flew out the window, and ascended to the top of the building. Jimmy didn't use the power of the ring. He tore off the V'Ari's helmet with his telekinesis, and went deep into his mind. He put a delayed, telepathic order into the creature's mind to kill the leader of the Green Lantern Corp.

After Jimmy turned T'Nalia's Green Lantern ring yellow, she was standoffish with him, his entourage, and stayed off the Demon for nearly four, Doraxian months. Jimmy descended down to their ranch on the edges of Glassco a few days after she decided to take her sabbatical, and discussed some pertinent matters concerning the Intelligence Corp. She worked outside in her garden, and when he descended next to her, she immediately said, "Stay out of my head, Jimmy. I'm not ready to return."

"You were never meant to be a Green Lantern," he said, "It's really that simple." He placed his hands behind his back, and looked calm.

"What gave you the right to make the choice for me?" She asked. Her visage turned into disgust.

"I didn't want to make that choice," he said. His frustration bubbled to the surface, and he knew he had no business confronting her in his state of agitation. "You should have made it years ago. You knew I wore the ring of the Destroyer, and you chose to marry me anyway." He walked over to her, and placed the backside of his right hand on her left cheek. "The Green Lanterns vowed to kill us on sight, and that includes me, but you chose them over me. I can't help but feel betrayed on some level.

"That's not true, Jimmy," she lamented. "My heart has always been with you…"

"And them," he said. He took her yellow ring off her finger, and turned it back green. "You can have your Green Lantern ring back. Be with them." He took off into the air, and then he felt her tug on his feet. He stopped in midair about two thousand miles above their ranch.

T'Nalia pushed him, and said, "Change it back." Her anger was palpable, and Jimmy recognized it immediately.

"I did," he said. When she looked down at her ring, it was yellow.

"Quit with your mind tricks, Jimmy. I don't like that."

When they flew back down to the planet, they sat on the front lawn. It was a large house, and T'Nalia had several servants watching over the children. "We need to have an important discussion."

"I already suspect Niona is your paramour," she said. "I've known for awhile."

"Why do you say that?" He asked inquisitively.

"The love between you two is unmistakable," she said. "She'd do whatever you told her to do."

"Have you read E'Da T'Naga's journals?" He asked.

"The designer of the Demon? He went mad," she said, "Dishonored. He ruined the entire T'Naga name."

"Did you know he talked about us in his journals?" Jimmy asked.

"You have two PhDs, Jimmy," she said, "Did you just turn off your logic and reason?" She laughed.

"The journals are classified," he said, "The COS gave a kid a Demonic class vessel. Where's the logic and reason in that?"

"What are you saying?" She asked. "It was obvious that you had the skills to be a great military asset."

"They know about T'Naga's journals," he said, "You, Niona, Eoni, and me are the subjects of his boxes and boxes of journals."

"This is crazy talk," she said. "Maybe you're making something out of all the madness."

"One wife will be My heart. One wife will be my mind. One wife will fulfill my lust," he said.

"Who are your wives?" She asked.

"According to the journal, a child from the house of Nalia and two girls from an alien house called Iobi," he said, "Then later on in his works, he mentions Niona by name."

"What do you want me to say to this?" She asked. "It's crazy talk."

"In any case, I have to find Eoni," he said with seriousness. "Eoni is elusive," he said, "She's denying her royal lineage, but has the ability to acquire sensitive information." He paused for a moment. "What I'm telling you is confidential?" Jimmy stood up, grabbed a graphical hovel out of his pocket, and threw it on the ground. It formed a yellow hovel about two hundred feet by two hundred feet, then they stepped in it for a moment. He said, "Eoni's in the brothels on Oa." He looked bothered by it, and T'Nalia stood in front of him with her arms folded.

"Are you going to tell Niona about all this?" She asked.

"No," he said, "I will recruit Eoni into the Yellow Lantern Corp under subterfuge, but she'll be so far under cover that nobody will know about her except us." He sat down on the bench, and then said, "I will probably tell Niona about this. I haven't decided. "

"It's because you don't want to betray her trust," she said.

"It's true," he said, "I'm sorry if my feelings for her bother you."

"Not at all," she said with a smile. "Doraxian men of means are expected to have more than one wife. It's in the nature of men with power." She placed the back of her right hand on Jimmy's cheek. "Can you trust Eoni?" She asked.

"Once she bonds with me she will be loyal," he said.

"I don't quite understand this Neonotium bonding thing," she said in frustration. "How does it work?"

"With Niona, it happened because we talk telepathically all the time," he said.

"So, you haven't had sex with her?" She asked.

"Why would you think that?" He asked.

"Well, husbands can take multiple wives if they have the ability to support them," she said, "And you have the wealth to do so."

"But only with the permission from the First," he said.

"I've given you that permission," she said, "If you want Niona as a wife, then propose to her. I can't do it for you."

"In time, but I must give it serious thought. For now, I'm heading to Oa," he said.

"You're in enemy territory," she said, "Don't you need a detail?"

"I'll be okay, but I'm sending Checha down here to guard you," he said, "It would be safer on the Demon, but take your time."

Oa…

Jimmy flew under subterfuge into Maltus, and landed his clandestine, parasitic vessel on the Maltus landing strip. Some of the older ships he parked by gave off a musty odor that nearly drove him crazy. When he used his x-ray vision to glare into the ships, he saw humanoids boxed in them, and they were in chains. He flew up to the Maltus Hotel, and paid for a suite on the top floor. It only cost two gold bars, and Jimmy was one of the wealthiest Generals in the history of Doraxia because he gave protection to nascent governments throughout the galaxy, and they paid him well. It was a spacious suite. The scenic view over the city of Maltus was worth the expense. It had a large bedding area with a fancy desk, and a large, walk-in shower. It had a bar that came with the room, and the two, freshly made gold bars paid for a year's stay with all the amenities.

When it came to slavery, Jimmy had an unfettered animus for the institution, and Oa was the biggest offender of the practice in the universe. But he didn't have time to free them because he needed to act on the information he knew about Eoni. She worked in a large bar called Space Girls, and it was a sleazy dive bar situated between the Lantern training barracks and the Guardian Towers. He donned his black, smooth Lantern uniform that didn't have any symbols on it at all. He had a bald head with dark sunglasses. When he walked into the bar, it was wall to wall with humanoids of all calibers. It didn't take him long to find Eoni because she was thinking loudly, and he picked up her ramblings immediate. She stood in the corner of the room in her Neonotium attire, and that was a silk like, see-through dress, black bra, and black panites. Her orange hair was pulled into a ponytail, and she looked like Niona, but feral. Her telepathic thoughts were so loud that Jimmy heard her say, "I'm going to take all your money." She was looking right at Jimmy when she said it, and he softly waved at her. "Yeah. I'm going to take all your money, fool."

Eoni's hubris was common among telepaths, and Jimmy knew a lot about them. There weren't many telepaths in the universe, and they acted superior to humanoids without the ability. Niona had taught him well because she had been trained thoroughly in mind manipulation, but Eoni had gotten sloppy through the years. Jimmy often beat up Niona telepathically when they first met. He didn't mean to do it, but he pushed his lustful thoughts into her mind incessantly, and she couldn't stop him. She called it a telepathic rape session, and when Jimmy found out what he was doing, he begged her forgiveness, but it didn't stop his relentless, telepathic attacks on her. He had no control of his dreams, and on many occasions, he found solace in her mind, and forced her into the Neonotium mating ritual, but without the insemination. He ravished her mind so badly that he would have to heal her with his powers so she could work. The number of times he entered into Niona's mind uninvited was hundreds, but she finally taught him how to control his thoughts. For three years, she worked with him daily, and she finally tamed his feral, telepathic contemplations.

Niona said to him later, "I once thought about having my loyalty gland removed, but being bonded to you has been the best time of my life."

When he looked at Eoni thoroughly, he saw she had a slave bracelet on her wrist, and that meant she was indebted to the bar. Her legs were smooth and sage looking, and when he looked through her clothing, he saw a small tattoo over her left breast. Her teeth were almost perfect in every way imaginable, and just like Niona, her two corner teeth were small fangs. She wasn't merely working in the bar for some quick cash. She sighed for a moment, and then walked over to Jimmy, and sat on his right thigh. He looked up at her for an instant, and it was hard because she looked like Niona, and listening to the way she talked disturbed him.

"What's your name?" Jimmy asked. He placed his right arm around her waist, and she immediately pushed it away.

"Don't touch me," she said, "Okay?"

"What's your name?" He asked again.

"Sooni," she said, "Sooni Iobi." She smiled.

Jimmy laughed. "I'm Jimmy," he said. He showed her the palm of his hand for a moment, and she stared at it, and sat down without touching it. When she propped up her leg on Jimmy's left thigh, he could see her black panties, and it was enticing. He suddenly felt a tingle in his mind, and he thought of multiple images, and she nearly fell backwards in her seat.

"You buy me drink now," she demanded. She readjusted herself in her chair, and stared at him for a moment. "It'll make me happy." She looked him in the eyes, and said telepathically. "This guy's a real idiot."

For a moment, Jimmy thought she was talking to another telepath, but didn't see any of them in the bar. He had the ability to sense telepaths, and she was the only one in the immediate area. Neonotiums telepathic reach was two thousand yards without a brain-enhancer. He handed her a gold coin, and ordered two drinks, and she handed him back a stack of money.

"Where'd you get Doraxian money?" She asked. "It's such a wealthy world."

"It's not important," he said. "Can I touch your face, Sooni?"

"You're not one of those freaky guys?" She asked.

"Not at all," he said. She placed his right hand to her face, and then said, "There." Jimmy smiled, and then he crept into her mind without her knowledge, and forced her brain to unleash chemicals throughout her body that made her completely relaxed in his presence. When Jimmy entered her mind, she felt that her life was complete with him in it. "I love your aroma."

"Thank you," she smiled sheepishly. She shook her head for a moment, and then said, "I feel like I know you." She paused, and looked at her drink. "Did you put something in my beverage?"

"Why would you think that?" He asked.

"It's just…" She didn't know what to say.

Jimmy increased his manipulation of her mind, and when he gently slid his right hand across her face, she held onto it, and hugged it. "Would you like to visit my room?" He asked.

"My master won't allow it," she said sheepishly. He saw her look over at an orange guy standing behind the counter near the entrance. When he looked through the bar, he had a laser gun by his left leg. In addition, he saw a small, animal like creature resting under the bar, but he hadn't seen that species before in all his travels.

"So, you're a slave?" He asked. She gave him an awkward look for a moment, and he wondered if his telepathy worked on her. For some reason, she recovered from his mind trick quickly because she said another, telepathic derogatory comment aimed at him.

"Only until my debt is paid," she said.

"How much?" He asked. "I'll pay off your debt."

"One gold bar," she said. "Terrance is going to love taking this fool's money," she said telepathically.

Jimmy wanted to laugh because she wasn't as crafty as she appeared to be. He watched her every move, and she nodded to the orange guy at the bar, and the troll like creature was now sitting on the end of the counter. It had the ability to phase in and out of visibility. When it went invisible, he sensed the creature through his telepathic abilities.

Jimmy could have easily purchased four slaves for one gold bar, but it didn't matter. He actually thought Eoni was worth twenty gold bars. "Point to the guy you owe," Jimmy said. He thought to himself that Niona's sister needed to learn some serious lessons about messing with people she didn't know.

She pointed to a large, orange guy who stood by the door, and he had a pointy black beard. Eoni and Jimmy walked over to the guy, and he gave Jimmy one look, and asked, "What?" Jimmy knew she was trying to scam him, but it didn't matter. She was going to leave with him, and he wasn't given her a choice.

One gold bar was only one point two million dollars, and if Eoni had gone to her parents, they could have paid it, but it was purely about the money with her. She was running a scam with the orange guy, and Jimmy knew it from the beginning, but chose to play their mischievous game. Jimmy said, "I'm going to pay her debt in full." He nodded to Eoni.

"You don't have a gold bar for her," he said with a sneaky look on his face. The shape of his beard agitated Jimmy, and he thought about ripping it off his face. He didn't know why a snake would choose the appearance that said, "I'm a snake."

When Jimmy pulled out the gold bar, the orange guy nodded, and Terrance grabbed it, and then disappeared. The creature was standing right in front of him, but invisible, and Jimmy could smell his garlicky odor and read his thoughts. Faster than the speed of light, Jimmy snapped the creature's neck and took his gold back. It happened so fast that nobody sensed that he moved at all.

"Told you you didn't have the gold bar," he said. The man smirked.

Jimmy laughed. He showed the guy the gold bar, and then threw the body of the dead troll on the counter. "Now. The girl and the gold is mine."

"You killed Terrance?" Eoni asked.

"You killed my friend," the orange guy said.

Jimmy turned to the troll, and touched his forehead. The creature jumped to his feet, and then backed away from Jimmy. When the orange guy reached under the counter, he pulled out a laser rifle, and pointed it right at the General.

Jimmy laughed. "First you try to rip me off, and now you want to kill me," he said. He sensed a burly man coming up behind him, and when the guy hit him in the head with a bar, it caused the man to fly backwards. Jimmy didn't even acknowledge him at all.

"I don't know if I want to go with you," Eoni screeched, "What are you?"

"Your new master," Jimmy said calmly. He looked directly at the emerald colored woman, and said, "You've angered me."

"You're not taking my prize bitch," The orange man screamed.

"What did you say?" Jimmy asked with a grimace on his face.

"She's my prize bitch," he said again.

Jimmy heated the man's laser rifle with his heat vision, and he dropped it on the ground. He then used his telekinesis, and forced the man to his knees in front of Eoni. "You will apologize for calling her a bitch."

"It's okay, sir," she said, "You don't have to do this."

"Apologize or die," he said.

"I apologize," the troll said.

"I'm sorry, Eoni," the orange guy said.

Jimmy looked over at his emerald princess, and then said, "I thought your name was Sooni."

"That's my working name," she said, "Every girl needs an alias."

"Don't lie to me ever again," he said. "Things won't go well if you do."

In his hotel room...

Eoni sat quietly on the couch, and she continued to think loudly, and already hatched a plan of escape from Jimmy during the middle of the night. He watched her squirm on the couch, and the fact that she looked so much like Niona bothered him because he loved Niona. Suddenly, he felt a tingle in his mind, and he threw up several random pictures to push the invader out of his head. He felt another tingle, and then he threw up another set of pictures because she was trying to read his deepest thoughts. Blood dripped out of her nose for a moment, and then she said, "Why am I bleeding?"

"I don't know," he said. He had a mischievous grin on his face, and then walked over to her. "Are you nervous?"

She looked up at him with her full faced green visage, and gave him a half smile. "A little."

Jimmy sat on the edge of the bed for a moment, and then said, "Remove your clothes." He touched her on the right shoulder, and she flinched. Her telepathy was loud, and he wondered if she knew about it.

She looked down at the ground for a moment, and softly said, "Don't make me do this."

Jimmy walked over to her, placed his hands on her face, and softly said, "You're now my servant, and death is your only escape."

"I had a good deal with Terrance," she said, "It's against the law to put a princess in slavery."

"Who will oppose me?" He asked. "Neonotium's weapons are weak."

"Where's your morals?" She asked.

"Don't question my morals," he said. "You're the one whoring." He was trying to make her become unhinged. "I bet your father was glad the day his little whore daughter left."

"How can you say such things to me?" She asked.

"You're a whore and my slave, so it doesn't matter what I say to you. You just do what you're told," he said.

"I never sold my body, sir," she said.

Jimmy laughed. "I know you're a virgin, Eoni," he said, "You've been feeding your clients with a fantasy, and they walk away completely satisfied. You're a telepath."

"How do you know that?" She asked.

"It doesn't matter," he said, "Take off your clothes." She slowly removed her see-through gown, and large tears fell from her face. "Don't cry," he ordered. "I'll bathe you in the shower because the stench of the bar is all over you." When Jimmy walked into the shower, she grabbed her clothes, and when she opened the door to the room, Jimmy was standing there. She upset Jimmy so badly that he said, "You're going to submit to me or I'll find Niona…"

"Don't hurt my sister," she screamed.

Jimmy almost laughed, but he had to keep up the ruse. "Get naked or I will."

She took her clothes off haphazardly, and threw them on the ground. She walked into the shower, and Jimmy walked behind her. When he took off his clothes, she didn't realize what he looked like under his disguise. She looked shocked. He grabbed her by the neck, and pushed her under the soft, warm water. She stood despondent in front of him, and her tears mixed with the water. He looked over her petite frame, and he realized he was going to have to train her to meet the harsh qualifications of being a spy. Jimmy's lips were only half an inch from hers, and he could feel her breath.

"I want to die," she said telepathically.

Niona talked to Jimmy all the time about life on Neo Star, and he asked her how she became bonded to him. She explained to him that he forced her into the bond by mentally violating her nightly. It happened so much that she braced for it every night, and by the time he had learned how to control it, she was already bonded to him. After that, Jimmy realized that he could force Eoni to bond to him, but he didn't want to do it that way. She was trying her best to walk outside her body, and Jimmy went deep into her mind, and pulled her back telepathically. When he did that, she screamed. He placed his hands on either side of her head, and started the Neonotium mating ritual. He massaged her pleasure centers telepathically while releasing a large quantity of dopamine. Her body went into wild convulsions, and then he repeated the process until she was screaming loudly.

The Neonotium mating ritual caused Eoni to become weak, and Jimmy picked her up, and placed her in the soft bed. She was completely nude, and then he went into her mind again, and repeated the process. When he felt her body convulse, he penetrated her, but didn't inseminate her. He stayed on top of her for about forty five minutes until her palpitations stopped.

"I know what you're doing," she said. Sweat poured from her head, and her orange hair was completely wet. She scooted against the headboard, and placed her head in her hands. "This is an ancient, force bonding ritual." She laughed. "Good luck, idiot. I had my loyalty gland cut out when I left Neo Star."

"But why?" Jimmy asked.

"No man will control me," she said, "Not you. Not Terrance. Not any man." He climbed off the bed, walked over to the desk, and stood completely nude in front of her. She laid her head on the pillow, and laughed at his failure. It was a devious laugh as if she won a victory with him. She even whispered to him telepathically, "You entered my mind like a seasoned pro, but you will never force me to bond with you." She snickered. "Might as well release me."

"You're going to bond to me," he said with a smile. "It's going to hurt, but it will happen."

She sat back on the bed bare bodied, and oblivious to his true powers. When he tried to touch her face, she flinched, and then he placed his hands on her head, and rejuvenated her tired body for another try. The energy from him flowed through her body for several minutes, and when he looked into her head with his x-ray vision, he could see the loyalty gland reforming. She looked nearly ten years younger, and had a sparkle about her. Her breast were perkier, and she had a youthful beauty about her. When her strength returned, she tried to wiggle from underneath him, but Jimmy went deep into her mind again, and this time, he chewed into the pleasure center of her brain until every inch of her body convulsed. He forced that loyalty gland to bend to his willpower, and an entire day passed with him gnawing through the delicate areas of her brain. She spit slobber into the air, and Jimmy didn't let it bother him.

He climbed off her, and ordered her some food. She was visibly shaken by the events, but an entire day had passed, and he didn't want to kill her. He purposely prolonged her suffering because of the way she treated him, and he felt she needed to understand that he was in control. Dried spit was all over her face and breast, and from what Jimmy could tell, she threw up several times. It was expected because a force bonding often resulted in visible signs of trauma. There was an easier way to go about bonding with a Neonotium woman, but Eoni didn't understand easy according to Jimmy. She had to be taught a hard, unforgettable lesson. He picked her up off the bed, and placed her back in the shower. The way he entered her mind she didn't have the ability to stand. When she laid on the shower floor, he watched her for a moment. Her orange hair was in her face, and she looked almost like a dead person. Jimmy straddled her body, and gently pushed his healing energy inside of her, and she awoke. She stood up in the shower, and he stood in front of her for a moment. "You're going to bond with me."

"You're being cruel," she lamented. "I don't have the ability to bond with you."

"I've restored your loyalty gland," he said calmly. The sound of the water hitting the floor played in the background. There was a cloud of steam in the large shower, and Eoni stood in the middle of the floor like a statue. He listened to her heart beat rapidly with his super hearing, and he knew he wasn't done with accosting her mentally. He placed his brown hands evenly on her head, and kissed her gently. She didn't kiss him back at all. Her every move at this point was without feeling, and she remained stilted. He washed her body from head to toe with the soapy water, and she made little sounds of agony, but he ignored it. He then dried her off with a large towel. Her body was stiff like a board, but it didn't stop him from what he needed to do. He felt sorry for her in some ways, but he knew her set of skills would benefit his cause, but bringing her to heel was paramount in ensuring she'd be loyal. Her skin flaked. It was dry from all the bathing and abuse. Her tears mixed in with the water from the shower, and she mumbled the question, "Why are you doing this to me?" He didn't answer because there wasn't an answer for the level of mental anguish he caused her. It was hard for him to abuse her mind and body for many reasons, and the main reason being she looked like Niona, the woman he called his Second. The water was warm, but she shivered like it was cold. Suddenly, she cried loudly, and begged Jimmy to kill her, and that anything would be better than serving a man of his caliber of cruelty.

He pressed his forehead against hers, and a white effulgent beam shot out of his head into hers, and then her entire body tensed up. Her eyes grew big. She shuttered, screamed, and whined loudly. Her body began to jerk, and Jimmy thought he should release the beam, but another part of him wouldn't let him. He continued to pound her conscience with knowledge of his past until she went completely limp. The power of the beam kept her upright, but the rest of her body went completely limp. Gently, he laid her body on the floor, and then put his healing energy into her until she awakened.

She looked at Jimmy with her wide, yellow eyes, and softly said, "Your childhood was the saddest I've ever known." She paused. "You never had a friend."

Jimmy wiped her orange hair off her face, looked her in the eyes, and shot another bright light into her mind to finish the process. He imbued her with all the knowledge that she needed to know, and it was part of how she'd become completely attached to him. He gave her the knowledge she needed to empathize with his cause, and even thrusted into her what he felt with the Green Lanterns blew up Thoraxia. She would eventually know more about his life than any person alive.

He pulled some lotion down from the bathroom cabinet as she lay on the cold, wet floor of the shower. Her body was petite, but curvy. Her hair was long, but wet. Her eyes were yellow, but beautiful. He rubbed the lotion over her beautiful, sage body, and he felt her react to his touch. It was still one of fear, but it wasn't like when she first entered his room He then rubbed lotion into her skin, and said, "You're going to be my loyalist soldier. You will take down empires, and help me set the universe on a new course of freedom and liberation."

"You're mad," she whispered telepathically. "You're forcing me to bond with you. Only an animal would do such a thing."

"Maybe," he said telepathically. He became sexually aroused as he embrocated the lotion on her body. He had no plans of inseminating her when he started the process, but Niona said that some Neonotiums had to be inseminated for bonding to work. He stopped rubbing lotion into her skin, and watched her closely as she laid quietly on the bathroom floor. For a moment, he imagined what would happen if he impregnated her, and at first, he thought it was a savage idea, an idea that only a fool would make. But if inseminating her was the only way to ensure the bonding would work, then it was worth it. "Please wait for me on the bed while I prepare," he said. She slowly climbed off the floor, and stood in front of him. She kept her legs smooth, but had a nice, orange fluff of hair over her vagina. It was a nice patch of hair that Jimmy liked.

"It's not fair that you're forcing this on me," she said telepathically. "No Neonotium would ever want force bonding." She cried for a moment. "You've stolen my innocence." He read all of her errant thoughts about her life, and she wasn't a nice woman at all. He knew she had sliced a pregnant woman's throat on Neonotium two days before she left the planet, and that was the real reason she left.

"You weren't innocent," Jimmy said laughingly. "You've killed people: good people who didn't do anything to you." Jimmy placed the back of his right hand on her left cheek, and she stepped back out of his reach. "That's okay. I understand your dismay, but I know your deepest thoughts. You're reprehensible by every use of the word," he whispered telepathically. "It's not your fault you have a duende I find irresistible, but let's not confuse that with your villainous behavior." He walked over to her, and he was fully erect. When his manhood slid by her bare body, she flinched at the touch. "I can't bear to give this job to Niona because of what it entails, but you're perfect because you've lived your life delving in lawlessness," he said, "You know how to be dirty and crude, and salacious. You're so deplorable that you removed your loyalty gland just to be a scumbag." He grabbed her by the back of the neck aggressively, and she started to cry. He snarled at her. "When I'm done with you, you will work for the betterment of the universe."

She stumbled backwards out of the shower, walked over to the bed, and sat down for a moment. Jimmy watched her the entire time. He stood in the doorway of the room between the bedroom and the shower, and he was fully erect. He watched Eoni watch him, and she laid her head on the pillow, and then buried her face in it. He turned down the lights with his telepathy. Slowly, he climbed on the bed, and kissed her gently on back of her neck. It was with all the passion and care that he imagined he'd do to Niona. When he penetrated her mind this time, she messed all over the bed, but he didn't let the smell stop him from what had to be done. Niona had told him sometimes a force bonding or Neonotium mating ritual caused a cathartic bowel movement. He thrusted a powerful beam of light into the back of her head, and it was stronger than all the other times. She screamed at the pain, and then he spiraled into her pleasure center, and made it so enjoyable that she convulsed in satisfaction. Her inner vulva made a suction sound, and he prepped to inseminate her. The more he twirled around the pleasure center of her brain, the noisier her vagina became.

"I can't take it anymore, Jimmy," she whispered telepathically. "Please do it now."

"Just a little more," he said telepathically.

He felt her inner vulva open to receive the insemination, and he let it happen this time. He released everything he had in her until he was completely empty. He then used his telekinesis to relentlessly play with her clitorius until her palpiations became self sustaining. Jimmy picked her up off the soiled bed, and placed her in the warm shower. She could barely stand because the ritual ravished her mind and body. He let her stay in the shower by herself while he used his powers to clean the bed. It only took him a few seconds to eradicate the mess.

Eoni crawled into the bedroom, and laid down in the middle of the floor. Her svelte body lay on the soft, expensive carpeted floor, and he watched her closely. The mating ritual stole her vitality, and she wouldn't be any good for approximately two weeks. He couldn't use his healing powers on her because it would interfere with the insemination process. "You've gotten your wish, Jimmy," she said. While on the floor, her body continued to palpitate, and she laid on the floor completely nude. "Why would you do this to me?"

"I need your loyalty, Eoni Iobi," he said calmly. She crawled up to him, and touched his muscular legs. "My name is General Jimmy T'McGinnis. Your sister is my Colonel and my wife is T'Nalia of Doraxia."

"Did you bond like this with my sister?" She asked. Gently, she grabbed him by the legs, and suggested he sit beside her.

He looked at her for a moment. "I love your sister," he said softly. He sat on the floor, next to her, and used his telekinesis to bring the lotion to him. "She's dear to my heart." He squirted a gob of the lotion in his hands, and embrocated it in her back. "Niona is bonded to me."

"Did you torture her?" She asked with a serious look on her face.

"For years," he said. He smiled for a moment. "I've always had powerful telepathy, but didn't know how to use it." He continued to rub the lotion into her back, and then said, "I don't know why your sister continued to serve under me because I entered into her mind nightly, and rummaged around in her head." He stopped massaging her back for a moment, and then said, "I think she liked it."

"She did," she said. "You're the only person to ever take so many liberties in my mind. I tried to fight you at first, but then I just let it happen."

"Noni let me into her mind without any fighting," he said, "We stay connected almost twenty four hours a day." He paused for a moment. "We've been connected for years."

"Why do you need me if you have her?" She asked.

"For several reasons," he said telepathically. "You have a skill set that I need." Jimmy went into her mind as she lay on the floor, and said telepathically, "I need you to control your telepathic thoughts."

She looked down at her stomach. "What about our baby?" She asked.

Jimmy touched her smooth face, and said, "He will be part of your cover."

"Cover?" She asked.

"I will set you up with a nice house. You'll get a job with the Guardians," he said, "You will be my deepest operative." Jimmy pulled out a yellow Lantern ring, and stuck it on her finger. "You're not a slave, Eoni. You're part of my family now, but nobody except for T'Nalia will know about you."

"What about my sister?" She asked softly.

"When it comes to you, her feelings would override her logic," he said, "I came to Oa for you." He picked her off the ground with his telekinesis and laid her on the bed. "Please understand that this is real, and you will do great things for Doraxia, Neo Star, and me."

Jimmy had servants waiting on Enoi around the clock when it came to her needs and wants. The servants did everything for her except anything that had to do with touching her body. The mating ritual and fertilization of the egg takes all the woman's energy, and she can barely walk for two weeks. He massaged all her sensitive areas every day, and when she commanded it. He bathe her twice a day, trimmed her hair, and he cut it in the ascetic style of T'Nalia's tribe. Due to the fact he healed her with his powers, she looked approximately half her age. When in the shower, he sat her against the wall, and she had one arm around his neck. He slowly kissed her, and after a week, he actually felt her kiss him back. It nearly caught him off guard. By kissing her, he was trying to determine if the bonding actually took place. It wasn't easy to tell with the likes of Eoni because she knew how to manipulate her way out of sticky situations.

General T'McGinnis and Eoni traveled to Praxis, a sparsely populated planet at the time, but a team of Doraxians built nearly forty thousand houses, a base, and an Old Guard headquarters in the northern region. The small engineering force was headed by a T named T'Rauna, and she designed the weapon system that protected both Doraxia and Praxis. It was an upgrade from what the Warbirds weapon system had, but nowhere near the power of the Demon class ships. He had a five year plan to populate Praxis with a military contingency to fight against any threat against Jimmy's plan to spread freedom throughout the universe. Praxis was a green and blue planet with a lot of high vegetation and wild animals. The electrical fence around the compound kept out the wild beast that had already eaten several of the earlier science teams that Jimmy sent to the planet. When Jimmy arrived to the planet, they went to the southern side of the planet because he wanted to retrain Eoni with the Yellow Power ring. He dyed her hair to a wet green color, and her overall appearance was one of exotica. He asked her to wear the solid black Lantern uniform with a small symbol of a yellow lantern ring on her right chest. Almost as soon as they parted ways with their spacecraft, a large rhino type creature bursted through the bushes, and she froze in place. Immediately, Jimmy put up a yellow shield to keep the animal back, and then asked, "Are you okay?"

She paused for a moment. "It's been awhile since I wielded a ring," she said with a grimace. The weeds in the background were extremely high, thick, and noisy because of the animals fighting. It was like being in a pit of hungry vipers. She shot a yellow laser out of her ring into the ground, and then said, "Let it go."

Jimmy looked at her for a moment, and then said, "Okay." He removed the wall, and several wild animals charged them, and she grabbed them with several graphical hands. She placed them approximately eight miles away without hurting any of them. He looked over at his student, and she had a smile on her face. Due to the fact he had to restore her loyalty gland, she looked younger than Niona, but she was actually seven years older than her sister. Suddenly, a wild, ape like animal flew through the air, and attacked Jimmy, but when the animal struck him across the face, it broke the animal's arm, and it screamed in agony. The screams were so loud that Jimmy could barely take it. He had been using his super hearing to know what was happening in the animal community of the deep, dark green wilderness. It rolled on the ground back and forth, and several of the other apelike creatures surfaced. They formed a circle around Jimmy and Eoni.

"Keep calm, Paramour," he said softly. She gave him an awkward stare when he called her paramour, but she didn't respond to it immediately. He had been thinking the entire time of a name for her, and he came up with Paramour because he considered her his lover.

"Are you going to kill them?" She asked while she had her ring hand in the ready position.

"Of course not," he said. He bent over to the creature, touched his broken arm, and a golden glow left his body, and went into the creature. He straightened out the arm, and it popped loudly. He was miraculously healed after a few seconds. Jimmy placed his hands on the simian's head, and entered into his mind. He wasn't anything like the apes on Earth because they had the capacity for solving complex problems.

"His name is Tory," Jimmy said aloud.

"Tory, my name is Jimmy," he said. The other apes screamed loudly and beat their chests. Tory turned to them, extended his left arm, and silenced them. They were all the same shade of navy blue, a deep sapphire that was harmonious in nature. Their braided hair was done in a tribal style like T'Nalia wore before they married. In the immediate area, he counted eight thousand of them, but it was highly possible more existed in other regions of the planet.

"More of my people will come to this planet in a few years," Jimmy said telepathically. "They will be in the north."

"Don't let them come to the south," he thought. "My tribe is peaceful, but the last invaders killed many of us."

"We'll stay out of your way the best we can," he said, "I have no reason to interfere with your development."

Jimmy demonstrated to Tory Earth's handshake, and then said telepathically, "I am glad to meet you."

The two Yellow Lanterns flew into the air, and then Jimmy said, "We have an ally in them."

"They're primitives," She said calmly. "What's to learn?"

"About ourselves," he said, "About how we developed into advanced societies." Jimmy and T'Nalia flew over the area of the simians, and he noticed temperature differences in them. He estimated most of the simian's body temperatures were around one hundred and two degrees; however, a few of them had body temperatures upwards of one hundred and thirty degrees. Jimmy paused in mid-air while Eoni continued to egress.

"Hold up, Paramour," he said calmly. His x-ray vision saw extra joints in at least two of the simians with different body temperatures. He recognized the parts-from his studies in metamorphosis-and it immediately caused him dismay. The idea of metamorphic creatures existing within a non-metamorphic species was insane. He whispered to Eoni, and said, "Some of the simians aren't what they seem."

"How many metamorphic races have you met?" She asked.

"Two," she said. She grimaced for a moment. "Very nasty creatures. Sneaky."

Jimmy flew down to Troy, and spoke to him telepathically. "I'm detecting another species living within your group." The simian leader stood with his hands behind his back, and very dignified.

"What do you mean?" He asked. He looked around for a moment, and then said, "All of these simians are my people."

Jimmy watched one of the shapeshifters peacefully walking about, and then he asked, "Who is that?"

"My eldest," he said, "He will be the leader when I pass." He waved for his son to join the conversation, and it was apparent to Jimmy that he was an imposter.

"Troy, this isn't your son," Jimmy whispered telepathically. "I will prove my point." Jimmy looked at the teenager for a moment, and asked, "Do you know who I am?"

"No, mister," he said.

Jimmy used his telepathy to enter his brain, and tapped into the part that controlled stability. As soon as he massaged that area, he changed shapes, and then Troy tried to attack him. Eoni grabbed the leader with the power of her ring, and set him down about forty feet away.

"Stay calm," Jimmy whispered telepathically. He looked at the creature, and asked, "Where's Troy's son?"

The creature laughed for a moment. "Your interference won't bode well with the Green Lantern Corp, General."

Jimmy seeped into the creature's mind, and retrieved his name. "Mullerío, if you've hurt the boy, I'd make you pay."

"The missing members of his tribe are fine," he said, "We're explorers, and wanted to observe these beings in their natural habitat."

"Give me back my people," Troy ordered.

Jimmy heard a ship's engines, and then a large vessel ascended from underneath the lake, and about twelve members of the tribe appeared. Jimmy turned to Mullerio, and said, "I need you to exit this world."

"But you can stay, and train your bitch?" He asked.

Jimmy picked him up by his throat with his telekinesis, and then said, "Apologize to her immediately."

Jimmy had him by the neck so tightly that he could barely say anything. When he dropped the creature, he said, "Sorry, ma'am."

"Leave, Mullerio," he ordered, "Doraxia terraformed this planet, and it belongs to her."

"Watch your back, General," he said. "You're priority number one." He snickered. "If you think your Lantern school will see the light of day, then you're a mad man."

"Why are you telling me this?" Jimmy asked.

"There's two forces in this universe. One wants freedom and one wants slavery," he said calmly. "We're a people who cherishes the former, but we're in bed with the devil."

Jimmy paused for a moment. "I understand your words," he said calmly. "I will watch my back, and I hope the laws of logic and reason give freedom a propitious victory over those who wish to enslave us." He watched the scientist, Mullerio and his people board the ship, and then Troy shook his hand once again.

When he flew into the air with his Paramour, he felt her watching him closely. She had a look about her that surprised him for a moment. Her face was a joyous one, and then she said, "You have all this power, but you don't flaunt it. You let your enemy live."

"I can't teach a dead man, Paramour," he said telepathically. "Maybe one day his people will help us in bringing freedom to the Universe."

Back to the current reality...

Eoni worked directly for Jimmy, and he paid her out of his secret accounts set up by his former self. One account was in Naila's Fidelity Bank in Glassco City on Doraxia. He gave her nearly ten billion dollars in that account when he manipulated time, and she had enough gold to disappear if she wanted to do so. He worked out the entire plan before he put her in stasis, and she went into the goo without any resistance. Jimmy programmed all the robots to inform him of how he set up her account as soon as he first entered the facility in the In Between. He found all the information on her from one of his robots guarding her, and he knew to make contact with her as soon as possible. From what Niona had told him, he surmised that Eoni had been waiting on Moxia for a number of years, and if he were lucky, she would weave her way into the Moxian culture. When he saw the file on her, the time he spent with her flooded his thoughts. His love for her overwhelmed him because he had put it out of his mind. T'Nalia knew about her in their previous life, but now things had changed. He didn't marry Niona until after the Green Lanterns murdered T'Nalia, but she didn't know her sister, Eoni, was alive, and one of Jimmy's wives. He referred to her as his Paramour. For over a year, Jimmy spent a lot of time training her to be the perfect assassin, and not only did she love him, but he loved her. Unfortunately, she didn't love him because he made an effort to woo her like a caring person should, but he did it through pure barbarity.

He didn't realize he had the ability to plant dreams in empaths before birth, and Eoni Iobi was already executing her mission from the dreams he implanted in her mind. She disappeared when Niona was only nine-years-old, and it devastated her family. She was trained by the Sapphires for a number of years, and ran counter intelligence with them. She had an apostasy from that organization by her fourth year, and went solo to Moxia. Since she was a strong, well-trained telepath, she never forgot the original timeline, and she was his first soldier he placed in the In-Between, in a section of the building apart from Niona. The reason he kept her separate was because her ability to hide in plain sight was a quality that he needed in his organization.

In the other universe...

Jimmy knew he loved Niona and T'Nalia with similar passions, and when he confided this problem to T'Naga, she told Jimmy to believe in the journals of her ancestor. The letters referred to his wife, Niona, and Eoni by name, but he hadn't met Eoni at all, but had made plans to find her. He realized almost immediately that Eoni was Niona's sister, and Jimmy asked her what she was like. He realized that Eoni was a vagabond, and disappeared from her royal family on several occasions. She had been a member of the Sapphire Corp according to Niona, but they lost contact several years earlier. Jimmy had used his telepathic powers, and found her in the lowly brothels on Oa; she purportedly sold her body to pay off debts. Neonotium women like Niona and Eoni bonded to one man for life, and in many cases, they shared the same man. Jimmy dressed in the clothes of a marauder which were leather tights, and a black, buttoned up shirt. He wore a cowboy like hat, brown boots, and a fake mustache. Niona bonded to Jimmy for life without much effort; it was written in T'Naga's journals that she would. But when it came to her sister, her aberrant ways wouldn't let her bond as easily. Jimmy knew he'd have to force a bonding with her by violating her mind without her will. Even though Niona was head of the Intelligence branch, he never let her whore for data the way he did with Checha. CheCha and all her minions had done many unfathomable thing for the Yellow Lantern Corp, and now Jimmy planned on whoring for the cause.

After the Lanterns murdered T'Nalia in the original timeline, he placed Eoni on Oa to find the Lanterns' vulnerabilities. She worked closely with the Guardians, and documented their daily routines.

She called Jimmy on her secure line, and said, "You need to get Jimmy Jr. before you make another damn, strategic move on Oa," she said. "It's getting dicey around here."

"I'll send Checha in to pick him up," he said.

"Jimmy, get your damn son," she said, "If they find out about us, they'll kill us too."

"Don't worry, Paramour," he said, "I'm extracting you both tonight."

When Jimmy assassinated the Guardians, it was because of Eoni Iobi's subterfuge within the towers. She spent months watching the Guardians' every move, and passed that information to the General. In addition, she knew more about Jimmy's foibles than any of his other agents except for Niona. The first time Jimmy flew into the sun for a recharge he stayed for months. It was after he destroyed Oa, and he flew into the fiery inferno to escape the guilt of what he had failed to do: protect T'Nalia. Jimmy didn't know at the time that he had an affinity for the sun's energy; it was like a drug to him, and it was a climatic drug at that. The thought of leaving the sun under his own volition was a heavy weight on his conscience, and he decided early that he'd stay in it forever. He felt Niona calling him from the Demon, but he wouldn't answer her; but when Eoni traveled to Doraxia with her parasitic Lantern vessel, she felt his presence in the sun, and devised a way to extract him.

She pulled Jimmy out of the sun by making him believe something had happened to Niona. She knew he had an unspoken love for her sister, and used it against him. Jimmy often relayed to Eoni his love for Niona, and how they spent hours telepathing under the Neonotium moons. When he returned from the sun, Niona gave him his ring back, but she never questioned why he stayed so long. He carried a large sheet of plastic under his right arm when he talked to Niona in the bay, and the grimace on his face was off putting. He had grabbed the plastic from one of the parasitic vessels, and felt nothing but rage in his heart for Eoni fooling him. He x-rayed her body from head to toe just to be sure she wasn't damaged, and then realized how much he despised Eoni for taking away his solace. When she used her skills for the good of the Yellow Lantern Corp, he applauded her, but now that she used her abilities on him, he wanted to hurt her.

"You were missed, General," Niona said with a somber look on her face. "I hope you are well charged." She paused for a moment. "What's with that?" She pointed to the plastic.

"None of your business," he snapped. For a moment, he felt dismayed by his treatment of his Colonel, but he stuck to his unreasonable behavior. "I need you on the bridge doing your duties, Colonel," Jimmy griped.. "I promoted you to Colonel because I thought you could handle commanding the Demon without me babying you all the damn time."

"But…"

"Get to the damn bridge," he ordered.

He walked into his quarters with the plastic, and placed it across his bed. It was neat and unwrinkled, and from what he could tell, covered every inch of the surface. He spoke telepathically with Eoni for showing her face in Doraxian space, but she blamed him for missing his welfare checks. He knew she was brave and unwilling to waver to his threats, and when he said she was worthless, he knew she'd come to see him about it. Niona knocked on the door of his hovel, and he screamed. "What do you want?"

"Your food, sir," she said. Immediately, he became flustered by the idea of his Colonel handing him a plate of food. He spent years turning her into a killing machine for the cause, and now she was at his hovel door like a waiter.

"Why is the Commander of the Demon dropping food at my door?" He asked with a palpable grimace on his face. "Don't you have a pion for that?"

"Sir, I was just thinking of old times," she said. Her voice sounded upbeat and fake. "When we walked under the Neonotium's moons."

He choked up for a moment. "Those were different times, Colonel," he said calmly. He walked over to the hovel door, but didn't open it. "We were different people."

"I'll just leave this tray by the door," she said. Jimmy leaned on the door, and heard her walk away, and he began to sob loudly. He slid down the wall, and he was taking the death of his wife hard. When he opened the door, a Doraxian woman stood in front of him, and he let her into his room. She was solid, a well-built svelte woman like his T'Nalia, but he knew it was a ruse, a ruse that Eoni like to play. He sat at his small table, picked at his food, and listened to her for a moment.

"I've been listening to you treat Niona like shit," she said, "You need to get a fucking grip."

"Why are you still in the area, Eoni?" He asked.

She turned back into herself, and sat on his bed for a moment, and looked down at the plastic. "General, you're losing it," she screeched. "You killed the Guardians! You didn't need to destroy Oa. You killed billions."

"They were all bad," he said with a grimace. He thought about what the Green Lanterns did to T'Nalia, and he began to vent. "The Lanterns didn't have to destroy her body." He looked at her for a second with a snarl on his face. He squinted his eyes, and curled back his lips. "Don't ever take the form of your sister with me again, Eoni. She's precious to me…"

"Then act like it, Jimmy," she snapped. "She's on the bridge right now trying to hold back her tears. She's bonded to you just as much as I am, and deserves to be respected."

He placed his head on the table for a moment, and she walked over to him. She wore her traditional Neonotoum dress with the black lace material, black bra and black underwear. "I never thought of life without her," he said. He felt the warmth of her hand on the back of his neck. "My children are in so much pain."

"General, Moxia has waged war against Doraxia," she said, "She's deployed her armata, and they'll arrive in eight years."

"With the Transwarp drive, The Grace can cut them off at any time, and destroy their ships," he said with a grimace. "I'm feeling worlds loyal to the Lanterns will come for me. I'm not going to show mercy anymore."

"This is the reason you need to be strong of mind, General," she said. She placed the back of her right hand against his left cheek. "Your enemies are everywhere, but if you obliterate them, you'll spread fear. Are you wishing to spread fear?"

Jimmy gently grabbed her right hand from his face, and placed it over his heart. He looked her deeply in her orange eyes, and asked, "Are you my enemy, Eoni?"

"Why would you even ask me that?" She asked. Jimmy never did anything without reason, and when he asked her that question, he was gauging her response. "I've been your loyal soldier for years." He didn't feel any deception in her heart.

"It's going to get ugly," he said. "I need loyal soldiers with the ability to challenge me when I make a rash decision." He turned to her, looked her in the eyes, and telekinetically tossed her into the wall over his bed. She appeared to be stuck to the wall, and she giggled at first, but it was more out of fear. She didn't appear to know Jimmy's insidious plans, and he had already put the contingency in place. He toyed with her like a house cat with a bug, and it looked playfully innocent until she realized he'd removed her clothing. It started with light petting, and Eoni was familiar with Jimmy's harshness in the bed. She quickly realized he prepared the bed for the Neonotium mating ritual. She didn't have any plans to ever use it again because she was already bonded to Jimmy, and didn't think he would torment her like he did the first time. The relationship had been mental the entire time with no actual penetration since the insemination, but the mental screwings were more pleasurable to her than physical sex. Jimmy planned on penetrating the deepest corners of her pleasure center, and open her to a new world of sensations. He hadn't ever had sex with Niona beyond playful, telepathic mind manipulation, but he had thought about it. The plastic was meant for Niona, but he wanted Eoni to pay for ruining his respite in the sun. He had Eoni in his clutches. Like the house cat to the bug, he was in the process of pouncing on her, and he couldn't tell the difference between pleasure and pain, up and down, or good and bad.. All he felt was hate for what she had done: extract him from his serenity with deception. Once he was eye level with her, he felt her fear oozing off her mind, and he said softly. "I'm giving you my tortured mind." He placed the back of his right hand against her cheek.

"If you're going to kill me, then kill me," she whispered telepathically. "I've died a billion deaths already. Is all the hate I'm sensing for me or …?"

"Why did you interfere with my solace? "

"Because we need you, General," She said telepathically. "We can't do this without you."

When he placed his forehead against hers, he traveled deep into her mind, crept into her pleasure center, and teased it for a moment. Immediately, she pushed him away, and she began to cry. "Don't, Jimmy."

He kept her pressed against the wall, and went back into her mind like she was his property, but she fought him back with all her mental strength. He hit her with an onslaught of telepathic queries until she caved, and then she whispered telepathically, "Why are you hurting the ones who love you, Jimmy?" She broke down in front of him, and then said, "I've given you every ounce of my flesh, but I will not bring another child in this world with you if you're going to be a monster."

"You've used your flesh a thousand times to bring down world governments, but when I ask for another child, you resist me," He said.

"If you're going to perform a ritual as intimate as the Neonotium mating ritual, I would expect better conditions than this ship," she said with a grimace. The last time it was in a gorgeous hotel. Jimmy gently sat her on the bed, and she crawled off, and then asked, "You smell that acrid stench on my clothes?"

He nodded yes.

"That's the dried blood of a Moxian governor," she said. Her voice trembled with anger. "I extracted the Moxian's attack plans from his feeble brain as he shot his semen in me." She paused for a moment. "I cut his throat as he climaxed." She sat on the plastic. "I Transwarped here right after that, and freed you from what you call heaven, and I have no regrets about that, Jimmy." She slapped her hands on the plastic, and then said, " I give you my all every fucking day, but I'm not going to give you another child." She hopped on the bed in the supine position, and said, "You want to fuck? Let's fuck! But if you think I'm going to let you impregnate me with no courtship or anything resembling a courtship, then you can forget it."

"Whores will be whores," he quipped.

She gave him an awkward look for a moment, and then said, "You don't deserve me. My family thinks I'm dead because I chose to fight for your cause, and then you call me a vile name when I'm doing what you've asked of me." She started crying. "How can you call me a whore?"

He walked over to her, and picked her off the bed with his telekinesis, and touched her face. She flinched, and then gently closed her eyes. Huge tears fell down her face. When he pressed his head against hers, he showed her his true feelings, and she smiled bigly.

"You could marry Niona and I in one huge wedding," she said telepathically.

"Only after we finish the war," he said telepathically. "I will marry both of you after the war."

"But I'll be out of child bearing range before we're anywhere near a resolution," she said. "Oh. You already knew that, didn't you?"

"Give me more children, Eoni?" He asked. "If you're bonded to me, then don't deny yourself this honor."

Back to the first year after returning from earth.

When Jimmy constructed the first Transwarp device, he had a vivid dream of Eoni in trouble in the Dark Corridor on a planet called Vega Star, a large planet about fifteen hundred light years from Earth. She masked herself as a sex worker, and was popular with the slaves in the Hollows. When she obtain knowledge about the Lantern's attack on Earth, a Green Lantern named Tisha Edi, a Neonotium, uncovered her identity, and had the Man-bots arrest her. When word of Jimmy attacking six Battlecruisers reverberated throughout the Lantern verse, it threw the Lantern empire in disarray, and they left Eoni in a dirty jail cell in a city called Sarobi. T'Nalia was spending most of her time training Karen, Tina, and nursing Raydon that she didn't have time to be in his business as he worked on the Transwarp device. But when it came to Niona, she watched his every move, and stayed inside his head constantly. He worked every moment of everyday to hide Eoni from his Second, and that meant purposely seducing her mentally, and then claiming it was an accident.

"What do you remember about Eoni?" He asked telepathically. She had just finished posting Eoni's picture next to the cafeteria, and Jimmy immediately realized that was going to be a problem.

She smiled for a moment, and then said telepathically, "She was feisty." She gasped. "Can you feel her presence?"

"No," he whispered telepathically. "She's been on your mind a lot lately."

"It's true," she said telepathically. "It's consuming me. She left so abruptly. I never had a chance to say goodbye."

"I was looking at the pictures you posted of her," he said telepathically. "If she's alive, I will find her." He paused for a moment. "Now. I'm going to use your ship to test the Transwarp device."

"My ship?" She asked. "You can't use one of the parasitic shuttles?"

He looked at her for a moment, and said, "When I'm one hundred years old, I'm going to turn to my left, and I'm going to be looking at your face." He paused for a moment. "The reality of it is you're tied to me. It's the way of things, so…"

"It hurts me you'd read my thoughts, and use them against me," she said, "It's the only thing I have left of my sister's."

"Your vessel is light," he said, "It's perfect for what I need to do."

"Then I'm coming," she snapped, "I don't want you damaging my ship."

"You can't," he said, "This is untested technology."

"But you want to use my ship?" She asked. She looked angry and unhinged.

"Niona, please," he said telepathically. "If I destroy a parasitic vessel, it leaves us vulnerable."

"Fine," she said telepathically.

Jimmy worked on Niona's ship, and attached the Transwarp device to the front of it. He tied it into her control panel, and was able to fasten it into the ship's maps. He spent about two hours on his first iteration of the Transwarp device, and jerry rigged it to work with Niona's ship. She had fallen asleep in the chair next to the ship, and he laughed at the fact he was crazy about two women. Due to the fact he was only twenty at the time, he felt ashamed that he loved her so much while being in love with T'Nalia at the same time. He had read T'Naga's journals, and knew what was written, but he was afraid T'Nalia wouldn't understand. Gently, he picked up his Second, and took her to her hovel, placed her in the bed, and sat next to her for a moment. Her orange hair was thick, long, and cut in the ascetic style. He pressed his forehead against hers, and his aura engulfed her, and he entered into her mind, massaged her pleasure center, and she climaxed hard. Her body contorted into multiple positions until she screamed in joyous pain.

"Jimmy, why did you do that?" She asked telepathically. Her eyes were big. Her face scrunched. Her hair wet from sweat.

"What did I do?" He asked telepathically.

She scratched her face for a moment, and then said telepathically, "You violated me." She took a deep breath.  
"I didn't mean to," he said telepathically. "I was just admiring your beauty."

"By manipulating my pleasure center?" She asked telepathically. "That takes a little know how. It's not something that just happens."

"I won't do it again. Ever," he said telepathically. He turned away from her as if to be ashamed.

"Jimmy, don't play games with me," she said telepathically. "We both know what you did."

"Okay. I mentally screwed you," he said telepathically, "And I liked doing it."

"What about physical sex?" She asked.

He paused. "One I would love mentally," he said telepathically. "That's you. T'Nalia hinted we should engage in coitus."

"Why aren't we doing that?" She asked. "What's with the mental attacks in my sleep?"

"I just need a little time to think about things," he said, "I'm going to want more than sex with you."

"More than sex?" She asked. "What do you mean exactly?"

"Let's keep it cerebral until we're all ready to make the leap," he said telepathically.

"You mean marriage?" She asked telepathically.

"Yes," he said telepathically. "I think marriage would be a good idea. I want my First and Second to be on equal footing under the law. I just don't want T'Nalia thinking I"m cheating and I don't want you thinking you're the other woman."

"There's nothing wrong with being the paramour," she said, "You came from a closed minded society."

When Jimmy walked into his hovel, T'Nalia fed Raydon while she sat on the bed. He relaxed next to her for a moment, and then she asked, "What?"

"I've been thinking about what you told me the other night," he said, "You know about Niona?"

"Yes." She paused for a moment. "I just want to be sure you're okay with it."

"Listen," she said, "It's obvious that I'm meant to share you equally with her, Jimmy." She laughed. "Quit being a drama queen, and do it already," she said, "Your earthly values of sex and marriage are closed minded and archaic."

Jimmy placed his right hand on her cheek for a moment. "In a few hours, I will test the transwarp device."

"Did Niona let you use her ship?" She asked.

"Yeah," he said, "She complained, but she understood the need."

After Jimmy slept for a good two hours, it was early in the morning. He gently kissed T'Nalia on the lips, and then walked out of his hovel, and down to the bay. He took Niona's small ship, and took off at warp three. After ten minutes of traveling at warp three, he typed in some coordinates, and Transwarped across the galaxy into the Dark Corridor. He flew right to Vega Star, and it happened in minutes. The device worked better than he thought it would when he first designed it. When he landed the ship in the middle of Sarobi, he couldn't believe how futuristic it felt and looked. It had a hover train that traveled over ten thousand miles per hour, and it covered most of the globe. There were millions of hover cars traveling in every direction, and Jimmy had to be careful with his ship. He didn't know anything about the traffic laws on Sarobi. He parked his ship in a huge parking-lot at the end of the city, and removed the Transwarp device. Jimmy had classified the material, and didn't want prying eyes to see it. The place smelled like fresh grass, and he enjoyed the smell. In addition, he could hear a buzzing sound emanating from the Man-bots, and he realized at some point he'd have to kill them.

The jail had a putrid smell to it, and it was because the inmates had to shit in a hole. The fact that a futuristic world had prisoners defecating in a hole in the ground caused dismay. When Jimmy stepped in the jail, walked down the hallway, and over to Eoni's cell, a Manbot attacked. The monster knew who Jimmy was, and tried to shoot him, but his laser didn't do anything. When Jimmy used his telekinesis, he ripped the robot into pieces. All the machine's body parts floated around the room, and then he sent them through the wall, to the other side, and away from the building. With the wave of his right hand, the door to Eoni's cell flew off its hinges.

An alarm sounded that was so loud it caused Jimmy to lose balance for a moment. It seemed to rock the entire building, but it was only Jimmy who could hear it. He used his telekinesis to muffle the noise when approximately seven Manbots attempted to attack him, but a stream of energy came out of his ring, and cut them in half.

"Where's your ring?" Jimmy asked telepathically.

"They took it," she said telepathically. She grimace. She looked down at her bare hand for a moment.

Jimmy concentrated on her ring, and then it flew to his hand. It was a Sapphire ring, and Jimmy turned it yellow. He placed the ring on her right middle finger, and she said, "Thank you."

When they arrived to Niona's ship, Jimmy asked, "Why aren't you on Moxia like I asked?"

"I was," she said, "But I was captured." She placed her hands on the old ship, and then said telepathically. "This is my ship."

"Use your ring to mask your appearance," he said, "I have to know what the Lanterns are planning."

"How long will I be under cover this time?" She asked telepathically.

"For years," he said telepathically, "I won't bring the Demon to Moxia until my Yellow Lanterns are finished with school. We're talking six years. I will use subterfuge to check up on you."

"I've spent all of my adult life serving you, Jimmy," she said, "What's the endgame?"

"Colonel, if your Loyalties are with me, then do your job," He said telepathically. "The endgame is stopping the enslavement and killing of innocent people, and to stop the person leaking Doraxian technology to the Green Lanterns."

"When we're done with this mission, I want to go home for good," she said, "I want to be with my family."

Jimmy laughed. He placed his head against her, and fed her information about Niona and her brother. He then told her, "You're still my Paramour. You're still my Yellow Lantern. You still have a mission to do."

"You abused me in the last life," she said with a dull look on her face. "Can I expect the same in this one too?"

"Haven't I given you everything?" He asked telepathically.

"No amount of money can give me back my childhood," she said, "As far back as I can remember, I've been bonded to you in the previous life and in this one. You say you want to save the universe, but from where I'm sitting, you're the greatest threat to the universe."

"Words hurt, Eoni," he whispered telepathically. "If you don't want to be in the Yellow Lantern Corp, then I'll fire you, take you to Neo Star, and that'll be that." He paused for a moment and she didn't say anything. "I mean just tell me what you want."

She folded her arms, and looked at him for a moment, and then said, "So, Niona's with you already?"

"She's my Second," he said telepathically. "Your family is with me."

"Jimmy, what are you doing with my sister?" She asked.

"I love her," he said with a smile. "We're so close that it kills me I can't tell her all about you."

"Is she bonded to you in this life?" She asked with tears rolling down her face.

"She's been bonded to me since we were kids," he said, "I will treat her well."

"Where does that leave me?" She asked.

"You're deep undercover," he said telepathically, "You were given your mission on the other timeline. I told you once I rewound the timeline you'd be on Moxia for years."

She started crying while Jimmy attached the Transwarp device to Niona's vehicle. "I will visit at least once every two weeks to make sure you're okay." He placed the backside of his right hand against her emerald face, and for a moment, she appeared to take solace in his touch. But then she opened her eyes widely, she knocked his hand out the way.

"Don't play that game with me, Jimmy," she snapped, "Not this time around."

He frowned for a moment, and his countenance changed. "You know you have to stay in the shadows. It's the way of things," he said, "Just find out who gave the Lanterns Doraxia's Warbird technology."

"When I arrived on Moxia, three Doraxians were in the Moxian government," she said calmly. "They frequented the Bottoms."

"Have you engaged any of them?" He asked.

"Before that Lantern blew my cover, I had engaged with Di'Awn T'Nairan," she said.

"Were you able to surmise anything?" He asked.

"We only did business on three occasions, and I asked him what he was doing on Moxia," she said. "He said it was all about the gold."

Jimmy pulled out his palm computer, and brought up Eoni's picture, and said, "There's intergalactic missing poster fliers of Princess Eoni Iobi all over the galaxy." He paused for a moment. "You're looking too much like yourself."

"Dammit, Jimmy. You're supposed to be running defense against stuff like this," she snapped. "No wonder my cover was blown."

"What am I supposed to tell Niona?" He asked with a grimace on his face. "I can't very well tell your sister to stop hanging your poster. Just change your appearance."

She used her ring, and changed into a blue woman with fiery red hair, red eyes, and a tail. "How's that?"

"Doraxians, naturally, will like the color, but remember it's the docility that attracts the men," he said. Jimmy displayed an image of Di'Awn T'Nairan on the screen. "This is the guy, right?"

"Yeah," she said. "He's a little chunkier, but that's him."

"He was exiled to Inatar," he said. "It appears he gave secrets to the Joradics about two years before you left Neostar."

"Inatar is the moon for exiled scientists, right?" She asked.

"Yeah. Scientist who spread debunk theories end up there," he said, "They're a disgrace to their entire families."

"Where did E'Da T'Naga reside after he left the asylum?" She asked.

"He sequestered himself on Inatar until he died," he said, "But I don't know if he continued his work."

"If he did continue his work in Demon technology, and the Green Lanterns possessed it…," she said.

"Then we'll have a universe of slavery and greed," he said, "They'd have enough firepower to destroy worlds at will." Jimmy paused. "Your sister probably hasn't grasped what must happen, but I have to bring Neo Star within the protection of the Yellow Lantern Corp."

"Are you going to marry her out of love or out of the resources that Neo Star has to offer you, Jimmy?" She asked.

"Out of love," he said, "Haven't I made that abundantly clear?" He asked.

"Jimmy, you've messed up a lot of lives," she said, "My life, the life of my children, T'Nalia's life, Niona's life, and so on," she said.

"You're being dramatic.," he said.

"What of our relationship and life?" She asked. "You've killed all your kids, and you stand in front of me like you've done nothing."

"You do understand that T'Nalia is my First and Niona is my Second," he said, "It's unprofessional to allow my feelings for you to grow outside of a work setting. The other Jimmy obviously had issues."

She slapped him. "Explain that to our four kids," she said with a scowl on her face. "Oh you can't because you killed them. You've killed me. You shit on everything you had, and for what?" She started to cry. "I hate you right now, Jimmy. Sometimes I think you're the real evil in this universe."

He glared at her for a moment, and then asked, "Can you change back to you, so I can be with you?" He grimaced for a moment because he insinuated she died on the other timeline, but she was in the In Between with all his family, including his kids with her.

"I don't see the importance of that," she said, "Quit with the mixed signals, Jimmy. If we're going to keep this professional than start in the here and now, and STAY! THE! FUCK.!OUT! MY! HEAD!"

"Tell me something?" He asked.

"What?" Said she with a nastiness in her voice.

"Can a Neonotium have multiple wives?" He asked.

"Get a grip on logic and reason," she snapped, "My father has six wives." She paused for a moment, and wiped the tears from her eyes. "I have thirty brothers and sisters. Niona, Nani, Niana, Nano and I are from the first wife of the royal bloodline." She laughed and cried at the same time. "I'm not even going to get my hopes up, Jimmy. Just remember you forced me to bond with you. I didn't do it by choice."

"Your sister is waiting for me to return with her ship," he said, "I must get you to Moxia." He flipped a few switches on the panel, and the ship flew straight up in the air. Once it escaped the planet's atmosphere and went deep into space, he initiated the Transwarp drive, and when the ship resurfaced, Moxia was directly in front of him. The planet was the largest he had ever seen; it had nearly twenty, yellow suns, and none of them was near the size of Moxia. He landed directly in front of her old hovel in the city of Drago Banter in the Hollow Province, the head state of Moxia's populated states. He stepped out of the ship, walked into her home, and looked through all the walls. "Listen. You must remember the blocking techniques I taught you in the other timeline."

"I haven't practiced them in some time," she said.

He placed his hands on her shoulders, and looked into her disguised face for a moment. "I'm going to enter you mind, and I want you to think of meaningless photos."

"Okay," she said.

Suddenly, Jimmy walked into her mind, and read her thoughts. It caught him off guard because the thought he read was about how she loved him. "Did you feel a slight tingle?"

"Yes," she said.

"When you feel that tingle, throw up the random pictures," he said. He looked at her again, and entered her mind, and she threw up a series of pictures until he was out of her mind. "Very good."

"I'm still pretty good," she said, "You trained me well in the other timeline."

"I see that. Please don't blow your cover," he said, "I will be back soon." He placed the back of his right hand on her left cheek, but she pushed it away.

"You got a lot of work to do before I let you go there," she said with a grimace.

"I read your mind…," He said.

"So. Yes. I love you," she said, "That was implied when I said I was bonded to you."

"You don't have to be so nasty about it," he said.

"Let me do my work," she said, "Take care of your family back on the Demon."

"You are part of my family," he said, "It is what it is."

Jimmy came out of his thoughts. He stood in the fiery pits of the sun, and felt pain from what he had done to all the women in his life. He left Eoni with the belief that her children were dead, but that wasn't the truth. He had hundreds of occasions to tell her the truth, but he chose to keep her children's whereabouts a secret. Due to all of his closeted skeletons, he didn't want to leave the comfort zone inside the sun because he didn't desire to explain to Eoni that her children were alive in the In Between. Nobody had the ability to extract him from the effulgence of the sun because it was too hot for humanoids, and he felt a guilty joy leaving all the madness he caused behind.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Moxia's twenty suns heated the planet to a maddening one hundred and twenty degrees, and the only people who desired the blazing heat was the small amount of Doraxians. A slender, bluish woman walked into the Senate, and a young, smoky tenebrous man said, "Welcome, Honorable Jen Ginnis of the Bottoms." The building took up more than six thousand miles, and it had statues of great Moxian citizens throughout the entire complex. The Boom Train ran north and south, and traveled over two thousand miles per hour.

"Is it a crowd today?" She asked smilingly.

"The Senate is ablaze over how to deal with the Destroyer," he said, "The empaths are spreading doom and gloom about his presence."

She wore a black glove over her right hand, and then she raised it to him with the palm facing outwards. It was a gesture that meant she didn't believe in the nonsense about the Destroyer. "The Destroyer is nothing more than every child's nightmare."

"Don't tell that to the empaths," he said seriously. "They're fixated on the myth."

Jen walked into the Senate Chambers, and it had nearly thirty million people seated throughout the large stadium. She wore a hoverboard on her back, that traveled nearly one hundred miles per hour that she used to travel short distances. There were different species of humanoids throughout the entire chamber representing all known states. Every person inside the chamber had their own ideas in dealing with the Destroyer. She quietly walked over to her seat while President Sir Thordic Von spoke. She pulled up a monitor, placed on her headset, and listened to his words.

"The idea of a ship punching a hole through Moxia is absurd," Sir Thordic Von said. He pointed out to the crowd. "We have powerful ships in orbit around the planet that would obliterate any threat known or unknown." He walked back and forth across the stage with a hover robot carrying a microphone following behind him. "This Jimmy threatened every slaveholding world in the Universe." He laughed. "One man claims he can do all that, and we're running scared." He laughed. "For many of us, Jimmy's powers are what make nightmares; for others, just a silly boy thirsty for attention."

Suddenly, two young women stood on a platform, and asked the President for permission to speak. One of the women was obviously a Doraxian, and Jen couldn't make out the race of the other woman. She looked like a Neonotium, but she wasn't sure.

"President Sir Thordic Von, General T'McGinnis isn't trying to wage war against Moxia," she said in a strong, very powerful voice. The two women flew to the President, and said to him, "General T'McGinnis needs your help to supply Brion Noir with life saving rations."

"Who are you two?" He asked.

"We are the wives of General T'McGinnis," she said. "This is my LTC Niona McGinnis and I'm Colonel T'Nalia McGinnis." The entire crowd flew into an uproar. "We implore the citizens of Moxia to have compassion on the Brions, and help them to overcome."

Suddenly, a sapphire colored man flew to the platform, and said, "How dare you show your traitor face here, T'Nalia?" The man said.

"Stand back from the Colonel, T'Nairan," LTC Niona McGinnis ordered. "You will show the Blue Ghost the proper respect."

"We're on Moxia now," T'Narian said, "I no longer adhere to the rules of Doraxia."

Forty man-bots ascended from the floor, and then T'Narian said, "Place these criminals under arrest."

"What's the meaning of this?" T'Nalia asked.

"Colonel T'Nalia McGinnis and LTC Niona McGinnis the Green Lantern Corp charges you with future crimes," the head man-bot said, "You will be tried and put to death."

"Wait?" The President said, "The Colonel comes here for honorable reasons." He paused for a second. "Moxia doesn't support this action."

Suddenly, Jen Ginnis flew down to the platform on her hoverboard, and said, "This is a hasty move on behalf of the Green Lantern Corp," she said, "The Colonels have asked for our help, and they have no desire to attack the Lantern Corp."

"Jen, this isn't your fight," T'Nairan said. "Every empath knows their crimes."

Jen humbled herself in front of T'Nairan by holding her head down. She sent a telepathic message to Niona. "Where's Jimmy?"

Niona looked over at her for a moment.

"Don't look at me," she said telepathically. "Where's Jimmy? Answer me," she said telepathically. "If you try to fight these man-bots on your own, you'll be killed. Jimmy destroyed Oa when they killed T'Nalia in the other timeline. If you die, he'll destroy the universe."

She whispered telepathically. "He's in the sun near Brion Noir."

"That freaking idiot restored an entire planet didn't he? She asked telepathically. "How long has he been recharging?"

"Nearly two weeks," she said telepathically.

"Listen, for future references, that idiot only needs five minutes to recharge," she said telepathically, "He becomes addicted to the sun's energy, and tries to live in it forever."

"How do you know this?" She asked telepathically.

"If this Jimmy has half the powers the empaths claim, won't we anger him by hurting his wives?" Jen asked.

"The new Lantern ships have warbird technology now," T'Nairan screeched. "In a matter of hours, a Lantern ship will attack the Dragon patrolling around Praxis. We have an operative aboard the ship who has disabled all major systems."

"You did what?" T'Nalia asked. Suddenly, a golden ray came out of T'Nalia's ring, and she cut T'Nairan into two pieces. The stream of energy curled around, and went directly through two man-bots. The entire arena broke out into a mad rush, and two man-bots tried to attack Niona with a barrage of bullets, but she blocked them with her bracelets. She lunged into the air, and cut one of the man-bots into two.

When one of the robots went to hit Niona from behind, a yellow beam came out of Jen's ring, and sliced him in half. Another robot tried to attack Jen, but she disappeared into thin air. She watched two Green Lanterns charge into the arena, and subdue Niona in a cage, and the other one threatened to kill her if T'Nalia didn't give up immediately.

"I don't give up because you'll kill her," she said, "I give up because General T'McGinnis will kill everybody on this world if you hurt his wives." The Green Lantern walked over to T'Nalia, and slapped her to the ground. When she was on her knees, the Lantern punched her in back of the head, and Niona started screaming.

"What is your fucking name?" Niona asked of the Green Lantern.

"I am Por Finn," he said. "Why do you want to know?"

"'Cause when Jimmy finds out you hit his wife like that, he won't show you any mercy." She spit on the ground in front of him. "That's a promise."

Jen flew to her parasitic vessel that she kept parked on the side of her hovel, and she had one of the unmarked ships that the Intelligence Officers used. She thought back to her sister's face, and it left her with the feeling of helplessness. She hadn't seen her sister in sixteen years, and to see her so strong, so forceful made her feel good. Once she was inside the ship, she put in the coordinates for the sun in Brion space. The ship took off straight into the air, and in seconds, she jumped to Brion, and flew directly toward the sun. Jen took her natural form, and she turned into Eoni Iobi. She exited her ship, and said telepathically, "I will share with you my thoughts," she said, "You can decide what you want to do." She pushed her mental energy of the events that had taken place into the sun, and she had expected hours to pass before Jimmy to react; but as soon as she said his wives were captured by Lanterns, he escaped the solace of the sun, and flew over to her. He was hotter than the sun when he first left, but the coolness of space cooled him off.

"Get in the passenger seat," he said.

"This is my ship," she said with a grimace. He looked at her with a scowl, and then she said, "I'm getting in the passenger seat."

Jimmy placed in the coordinates to Moxia, and then he looked over at Eoni for a moment. He whispered to her telepathically. "If they kill my wives, I will destroy them."

"We have to hurry," she said telepathically.

In seconds, the ship entered in Moxia's space, flew down to the Senate, and burst through the roof. He used his telekinetic abilities to move thousands of people out the way of his descending craft. The Lanterns had his wives hanging from a graphical hook. Jimmy pushed all the aliens on the Senate floor back with his mind. He didn't hurt any of them, but he cleared out the entire room. T'Nalia dangled from the hook as if she were dead. He entered into her mind, and then she thought, "Give me the order to kill him. Make it look good."

"T'Nalia, kill that Lantern, and quit playing games," Jimmy said loudly. She flipped into the air, and sliced him in half. Por Finn fell to the ground in several pieces. When the man-bots charged at him. Eoni sliced them in half, and then Niona flew off the hook. "What's wrong?" Jimmy asked. She hugged him for a long moment.

"It's the Dragon," she said with a stern look. "They're under attack."

Niona looked over at Eoni with shock for a moment. "Eoni!"

"It's time to soldier, LTC," Eoni said.

"Yes, Colonel," she said.

Jimmy sat in his Command Chair, and Eoni sat in the pilot seat. She had the silver helmet on her head, and she looked over at Niona for a moment, and said, "Yeah. I'm alive."

"Where have you been?" She asked telepathically.

"You're an Intelligence Officer," Eoni said telepathically. "Just like me. But Jimmy has all the answers."

"So, you work with Jimmy?" She asked telepathically.

"No. I work for Jimmy," she said telepathically.

Captain Diggle was at the Operations desk, and watched the space. "Colonel, prepare the ship for Transwarp. Colonel Eoni, do you remember how to fly this bird?" The General asked.

"It's not outfitted like our bird, but I can work with it," she said.

"What is she talking about?" Niona asked.

"We'll discuss this later, honey," Jimmy said telepathically, "Your sister is a spy for the Yellow Lantern Corp. She's been working on Moxia since her early twenties."

"Okay. Can you tell her to stop being an asshole?" She asked telepathically.

"Please soften up to my Niona, Eoni," he said telepathically. "She misses you."

Eoni started crying. She slowly got up, and then walked over to her sister, hugged her, and then said, "I've missed you."


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

Jimmy watched the Dragon quietly from the bridge of his ship, and Niona watched the robots fix it from her viewer. Everybody on the bridge wore the solid black Lantern uniforms with the yellow Lantern symbol on the right side except for T'Nalia. She wore the regular, utilitarian black uniform with the name tags, and frumpy look. She liked what she liked, and Jimmy liked her in the baggier uniform. T'Nalia stood next to Jimmy, and focused on the monitor overhead. Praxis was a bright blue ball directly in front of them, and Jimmy thought it was beautiful. "The cloaking works well," Niona said telepathically. "There's no indication of any other cloaked ships in the area."

"Sir, the radio chatter is deafening," Lieutenant Knight said. "All the parasitic vessels are deployed from here to Doraxia."

Jimmy looked over at Niona, but she didn't make any eye contact with him, but he felt she had questions. Eoni sat in the pilot's seat with the brain helmet on her head. She didn't say anything either, and kept focused on the viewing screen on her control panel.

"Niona, deploy the parasitic vessels," T'Nalia said in a commanding voice. "Captain Diggle, you're assigned to the patrol roster until the General assigns Colonel Iobi to a new post."

"Yes, ma'am," Captain Diggle said. She softly screamed, "Finally."

Jimmy gasped when she did that. "You think she wants to get away from me?" He asked T'Nalia in a whisper.

"Probably," she said smilingly.

Niona laughed, and then clicked a button on her wrist. She said, "Parasitic vessels deploy. We're at the highest alert level until told otherwise."

Patrolling with LT Weda:

Lt. Weda's patrolled with the Enterobius, a very fast Lantern Vessel with deadly parasitic abilities to take out a Green Lantern Battlecruiser with ease. Lt. Weda was a male Joradic soldier that T'Nalia handpicked for the Yellow Lantern Corp. During his training at the academy he complained about the General's cruelty, and when Jimmy saw the complaint, he was overly nice to him, and then the Lt. demanded to be dismissed from the academy. Often, Jimmy wondered if he had some prejudices against the Joradic people because their ambassador enslaved Karen and Jessica years earlier, and he still found their love of slavery reprehensible. After he returned to Doraxia, he had a multitude of meetings with the COS, and voiced his dismay with Joradic enslavement of other races. Every time he saw a Joradic citizen with their long, apelike features and hair, he displayed displeasure with their laws.

Jimmy told Lt. Weda the only way out was to beat him up, and then the Joradic soldier sat down, and played nicely for the next two years, but Jimmy never forgot the complaint. He rode Lt. Weda across the finish line like he did with all the students he called his favorite. When Jimmy watched his first graduating class at the Juice Bar on Zaar, they all drank to the General's Love, and agreed the best learning experiences were the painful ones, and the General made everything painful.

"Demon, this is the Enterobius," he said, "Over."

"This is the Demon," Lt. Knight said, "Go ahead with your message."

"I'm experiencing some fluctuations in my viewer," he said, "I saw a ship, and then it disappeared."

Suddenly, Lt. Weda saw the sky fill with robots that came from the Demon, and they flew directly to the Dragon, and they worked expeditiously on the ship. It was like everything suddenly came to life when Lt. Weda said he thought he saw something.

"Enterobius, this is the General," Jimmy said, "Come back to the Demon for a moment, and situate yourself directly under the ship. Over."

"Roger that, sir. Out."

end of Patrolling

Jimmy sat back in his Command Chair for a moment, and T'Nalia rested on his right shoulder. Her rosy aroma helped him concentrate on how to detect the cloaked, alien vessels. He knew the radar on the Lantern vessels didn't have a glitch, but he needed to know the threat for the correct plan of action.

"T'Nalia, wouldn't the panoramic, particle ray ionized the area, and expose any cloaked ships?" He asked. He looked over at Niona, and she nodded in the affirm.

"It should," she said with an expressionless countenance. "Niona, what do you think?" She asked inquisitively.

"The Sapphires used a similar particle ray to expose Lantern ships back in the day," she said.

"She's right," Eoni said, "A panoramic particle beam should do the trick."

"Okay, Niona. Shoot a panoramic particle beam over the area. Do this on my command," He said with a serious look on his face. "If this reveals any cloaked ships, we'll have the parasitic vessels attack them." Jimmy looked over at Karen, and then said, "Karen, inform the Dragon what we're doing."

"Yes, sir," she said, "Sending the message now."

Niona pushed several buttons on her control panel, and then said, "Initiating panoramic particle beam." She pressed the large, red button on her control panel, and it was nearly thirty thousand miles wide.

Jimmy saw the outline of three battlecruisers on either side of the Dragon, and one below them. He didn't have a clue what was going on, but made an attempt to penetrate the ship's defenses with his telepathy, but something blocked him. "I can't detect them. I sense a powerful dampener."

"They're emitting a dampener from one of the ships," Niona said, "It's blocking our telepathic abilities." She looked up at Jimmy, and then said, "Could it be the Peridians?"

Jimmy looked over at his wife, and thought for a moment. "Possibly," he said in a calm voice. "I can detect the minds in the Dragon, but not in the enemy vessels." Jimmy placed his left hand to his left temple and concentrated for a moment. "Lt. Weda, can you see the ships?" Jimmy whispered telepathically to him.

He thought. "I see it."

"Drain it," Jimmy said, "Suck it completely dry, but don't use the Omega blaster."

Patrolling with LT Weda:

The Lt. took off at full speed in his parasitic vessel, locked onto one of the vessels, and drained it the best he could. The lights flickered on the ship, and then when he took flight, he hit the ships with a powerful energy ball that completely drained the remaining power. The ship was dead, and drifting into the planet.

End Patrolling

"Major T'Naga, this is the General. Lock onto the ship directly below the Dragon," he whispered telepathically. "Drain it, but don't destroy it."

"Yes, sir," she thought.

Suddenly, the General saw her vessel leave the Dragon, drop for about thirty thousand feet, and land directly on top of the cloaked vessel. When the lights went out on the ship, she took off while leaving a deadly, energy draining bomb attached to the outer hull. In seconds of her leaving, the ship went completely black. "That was the ship with the dampener," he whispered telepathically to Niona.

"I feel the minds," she said telepathically. "I feel the fear." She made a gasping sound for a moment. "I don't detect any Peridians or Gidisons on the ship."

"Karen, can you pick up the enemy's radio chatter from the third ship?" Jimmy asked.

"I can try to break into their frequency," Karen said, "Give me five minutes."

Jimmy searched the ship with his telepathic powers, and tapped into the commander's brain. Immediately, he realized the ship's members were all Distortions from the planet Metamorphosis. It bothered the General because they had the ability to infiltrate an enemy ship, and bring it down from the inside. They could assume anybody's identity, and work in a clandestine manner that brought chaos to an enemy vessel. The Commander's name was Mullerío, and Jimmy realized that he knew the guy from the other timeline.

"Eoni, the vessel is commanded by Commander Mullerio," he said telepathically.

She turned around in her chair, and said, "I remember," she said aloud.

"T'Nalia, the occupants of the vessel are Distortions from the planet Metamorphosis," Jimmy said in a calm voice.

Jimmy went into CheCha's mind, and asked, "Was the Dragon infiltrated with a shapeshifter?"

"Yes, sir," she thought. "I sent a message to the fleet to be aware of the creatures."

"Eoni, do you remember the glasses we made in the other timeline?" Jimmy asked. "The ones capable of detecting shapeshifters?"

"Yes," she said. She pulled out her palm computer, and asked it, "Computer, pull of the algorithm for the special glasses." A three-d image appeared above the computer, and displayed for everybody on the bridge to see it.

"Those will detect them?" T'Nalia asked in amazement.

"Can I tell them, sir?" Eoni asked.

"Go ahead," he said.

"As you know, Jimmy had four wives on the previous timeline," she said softly. "The Distortions infiltrated our ranks, and nearly brought Doraxia and Neo Star to destruction. The spy tricked Jimmy into living in Doraxia's second sun, and none of us knew about it." She paused for a moment, and then said, "Checha, his third wife, and Niona had an idea for the glasses, but didn't have the knowledge to make them. I suspected T'Nalia was the impostor, and I took the idea to Dunak, and he designed the glasses. I did it while assuming the identity of Jen T'Nalia in order to avoid blowing my cover."

"Once Dunak finished with the design, Niona ordered the glasses to be made fleet wide," she said, "All officers and members of the Intelligence Corp wore the glasses." She paused for a moment, and her voice cracked. "When I returned to my post on Oa, I saw the Lantern Corp execute T'Nalia. They then destroyed her body. Jimmy found out about his wife's death while in the sun, and when he found the people directly responsible for murdering his First, I dare not say aloud what he did to them. I will do everything in my power to stop my beloved from going down that road."

"I knew Checha was the third," T'Nalia said with a humor in her voice. "Just had that feeling."

"So, are you the fourth?" Niona asked.

"It doesn't matter. Jimmy and I were married many years in the previous timeline, and there were good times and bad times," she said with a sadness about her. "T'Nalia knew about me in my past life, and we were friends, but I worked in secret. for the betterment of Doraxia and Neo Star. I missed my family every day, and I don't want to go back into hiding without my family knowing I love them."

All the women on the bridge started crying, and Jimmy rubbed T'Nalia's back. Niona cried to the loudest, and Jimmy walked over to her, and hugged her. He hated to see the people he loved the most in so much pain, but he realized they needed to know the truth. He gently kissed Niona, and then whispered telepathically, "Niona, I apologize to you for keeping the whereabouts of your sister a secret." He then spoke to everybody on the bridge. "Eoni is my number one intelligence agent, and once we're done with this mission, nobody speaks her real name. She's my number one weapon in the field, and her real identity must remain a secret."

"Yes, sir,' everybody said in agreement.

"You will always be our family, Eoni," T'Nalia said.

Jimmy walked over to Eoni, and placed the back of his right hand against her left cheek. She didn't try to remove his hand, and just accepted it. "Use the replicator to make a pair of those glasses for every officer in the fleet," he said. "Once the specs are uploaded in our system, we can initiate automation of the glasses on every ship.

"Yes, sir," she said.

"Karen, put me in contact with the alien vessel," the General said.

"Yes, sir," she said, "You have a connection."

Jimmy clicked a button on his right wrist, and the Commander appeared on the screen. He was a slim, ripe olive skin man with long, black hair. His skin was like coal, but it had a shine to it. His eyes were light brown with a glow to them. He was nothing like what Jimmy expected to see. "Mullerío, come to my ship immediately or I'll fire on your vessel."

"Why did you disable my ships?" He asked. "They'll run out of air, and die in a few hours."

"You attacked one of my ships," Jimmy said, "That's why."

"It's not true," he said, "We arrived right after the melee took place. We saw the raucous from Metamorphosis. "

"T'Nalia and I are coming to your ship," Jimmy said, "Something isn't right."

Jimmy contacted Checha telepathically, and then said, "Start writing your report. Make sure it's done precisely because the Commander of this small contingency is saying they didn't do it."

She thought, "The enemy vessel fled, sir, but the alien we have in custody is a Distortion and Green Lantern. We have her ring locked in the safe under the commander's chair. Her name is Commander Tiara."

Jimmy paused for a moment. He and T'Nalia stood in the hallway next to the elevator, and he looked over at her for a moment. "It's time to be diplomatic." They both changed into their Yellow Lantern formal dress, and it was the sophisticated suit with the black cape. "Once we're finished visiting the alien commander, I have to visit the Dragon," he said. He kissed his wife softly on the lips, and then said, "T'Nalia, the Dragon better have their shit together this time."

T'Nalia clicked a button on her wrist, and then spoke into the communicator. "Listen, Majors. The General and I will be on your bird in about two hours. May the laws of science protect you if you aren't there to greet us, and you aren't in your best dress. That goes for you too Captain Jade. You won't be able to run fast enough to avoid Jimmy's rage."

"Yes, ma'am," they all said, "The repairs are almost finished, and we'll be waiting for your arrival," T'Dank said.

"Your careers depend on it," T'Nalia said.

Jimmy looked over at her, and asked, "Do you think we're being too hard?"

"You can be hard, but caring," T'Nalia said. "If you're linked into Niona, ask her what she thinks?"

"I think so," Niona said on the radio. "The best leaders are firm, but caring. Show strength and compassion at the same time, sir. It's the best way."

"Thanks, ladies," he said, "I don't want to be too abrasive, but I can't show any weakness in front of my soldiers."

"But at the same time, you don't want to come off as irascible," she said, "At least not today."

On Mullerio's Battlecruiser…

Jimmy and T'Nalia walked onto the battlecruiser, and their delegation met them at the bay door. Jimmy was immediately impressed with how his men and women lined up by rank, and greeted him. Mullerio had on a dignified uniform with all his military honors. The ribbons on his chest exhibited a man of war, and he was no stranger to a few dogfights. All the buttons on the panels were crystals, and when they entered the conference room, Jimmy sat at the Distortion's roundtable.

Commander Mullerio was much taller than Jimmy, and he stood nearly six foot seven with broad, masculine shoulders. Jimmy didn't know if that was his true form or if he assumed another form just for the meeting. He believed the original color of the Distortions was one of a ripe, black olive, but he wasn't sure. The argy-bargy started with the Commander accusing Jimmy of destroying one of their Battlecruisers when it was on a lawful mission to harvest slaves from Earth.

"Commander, I don't want any confusion on the Treaty of Trust and Subjugation," he said in a serious mood. The expression on his face was hard. "I rescinded that treaty, and know that a Green Lantern had no right to sign humanity's rights over to another."

"So, you're not going to apologize for killing Distortion citizens?" He asked in a strong voice.

"Of course not," he said, "I stand by my decision to obliterate those ships because I gave them ample warning." Jimmy paused for a moment, and turned directly to Commander Mullerio. "We can have a peace between Doraxia and Metamorphosis, but only if the practice of enslavement comes to an abrupt end."

"That institution is how we thrive as a people," he said, "We have millions of our citizens in servitude around the galaxy. We make trillions off that."

"We have Commander Tiara in custody right now," T'Nalia said calmly. "She undermined our security and disabled our defenses. She assumed the identity of a Doraxian office, and all of these crimes are punishable by death."

"This is an act of war, Commander," Jimmy said. "If her actions resulted in the Destruction of my warbird, we'd be at war right now."

"I can promise you, General, that Commander Tiara worked on behalf the Lantern Corp," he said.

"So, you don't want revenge for your dead?" Jimmy asked. "It's obvious you support enslaving others."

"You're being presumptuous," the Commander snapped. "You're assuming that we all support slavery when it's only the elites."

"Let's be real for a moment," Jimmy said with a grimace on his face. "Doraxia owns Praxis, and doesn't want Distortions anywhere near it. I will decide on what to do with Commander Tiara, but be aware of this, I'm not giving Green Lanterns any more second chances. I've tolerated interferences in Doraxia's endeavors far too long."

"So, you're banning Distortions from Praxis?" He asked. "What right do you have?"

"We terraformed the planet, and the planet has two races on it under Doraxia's protection," he said, "So, stay out of this region."

"In addition, if we detect any ship with warbird technology, we'll confiscate it or destroy it on the spot," T'Nalia said, "We've eliminated the Doraxian traitor, and if we find another one, we'll deal with him or her too."

"My government won't agree to this," he said, "We have business in this area."

"With Praxis?" Jimmy asked.

"No. With Tailon, the planet half a light year from here," he said, "It's a mineral enrich planet that we use for our ships and electronic devices."

"T'Nalia, pull up this system on your palm computer," Jimmy said. She pulled it out of her pocket, and pulled up a replete picture of the area. It covered about four light years in a condensed form. We're right here," Jimmy said. He pointed to a blue dot in the middle of the image. Jimmy's finger slid up a tad, and then he asked, "Is this Tailon?"

"It is," he said.

"Tailon is outside Praxis' solar system," T'Nalia said, "We don't want your ships in this solar system."

"That's correct," Jimmy said, "We don't care what you do with Tailon as long as it doesn't interfere with the people of Praxis or damage my ships."

"Why are they so special?" Mullerio asked.

"There blood is my blood. I evolved from them," he said. T'Nalia and Jimmy stood to their feet. "We'll have the documents on this meeting written within in a few days, and it will outline my needs."

"You're a reasonable man, General," Mullerio said, "We'll respect boundaries."

On the Dragon…

Major T'Dank and his crew were at the position of attention when Jimmy walked through the bay doors. He had T'Nalia, Niona, Captain Diggle, and Captain Praga with him. They stood at the end of the line, and the General expected his troops one by one.

"I'm going to assume your ate-up uniform is a result of being attacked," the General said. "I'm tired of asking you to step down, T'Dank. So, I'm firing you." The group of officers gasped.

"Sir, the Commander showed courage in the battle," Checha said.

Jimmy looked over at the Major and whispered telepathically. "Play alone." He then said, "If I wanted your opinion, Major, I'd ask." He then pointed directly at Captain Praga, and said, "You're no longer leading the Lanterns on the Demon. You're fired." Niona walked behind the General as he stood in front of Major T'Dank. Jimmy looked over at Captain Diggle, and said, "I'm also tired of looking at the back of your head, and you're fired from piloting the Demon."

She gasped. Jimmy walked over to Captain Diggle, and then Niona said, "Attention to orders." The entire group snapped back to attention. "By the orders of the Federation of Yellow Lanterns, Captain Tina Diggle, you are hereby promoted to the rank of Major. Ordered by the Federation of Yellow Lanterns and signed by General Jimmy McGinnis Commanding."

"Major Diggle, you are assigned to command the Peace Maker," he said. The entire room of officers gasped. "You're the first Major with this much power at her fingertips. I trust you to use this ship and its staff wisely."

"I will, sir," she said. "I will not fail you."

Jimmy stepped in front of Captain Praga, and Niona said, "Attention to orders." She cleared her throat, and then said, "By the orders of the Federation of Yellow Lanterns, Captain Dori Praga, you are hereby promoted to the rank of Major. Ordered by the Federation of Yellow Lanterns and signed by General Jimmy McGinnis Commanding."

"Major Praga, you're commanding Blue Force Two, " Jimmy said, "You have a lot of power at your fingertips. Please use it wisely."

"I will, sir," he said, "I promise."

Jimmy walked in front of Checha T'Naga, and stared at her passionately for a moment. "I'd like to keep you on the Demon for as long as possible, but it's time for you to do what I hired you to do. I know I've ridden you hard and trained you even harder, but I did it for a reason." Jimmy said telepathically to Niona, "Okay. Let's do it."

"Attention to orders," Niona Said, "By the orders of the Federation of Yellow Lanterns, Major Checha T'Naga, you are hereby promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. Ordered by the Federation of Yellow Lanterns and signed by General Jimmy McGinnis Commanding."

"Lieutenant Colonel, you will be commanding the Subterfuge," Jimmy said, "It's a Demon class ship, and a deadly machine. Please use it wisely."

"I will, sir. Thank you," she said.

Jimmy walked in front of Major T'Dank, and whispered telepathically, "When I told your uncle I was promoting you to Lieutenant Colonel, he said that I didn't owe you that. I then told him I was giving you The Blue Demon Fighter, and he pleaded with me not to do that. I'm giving you the Blue Demon Fighter because I believe in you. I know you have the heart of a warrior, and will serve Doraxia well."

"Attention to orders," Niona said, "By the orders of the Federation of Yellow Lanterns and Old Guard, Major T'Dank, you are hereby promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. Ordered by the Federation of Yellow Lanterns, Old Guard and signed by General Jimmy McGinnis Commanding."

"Lieutenant Colonel, T'Dank, you're in command of the Blue Demon Fighter," Jimmy said, "It's a powerful piece of equipment. You have a ship designed to destroy worlds in your possession. Please remember that with every decision you make."

"I will sir," he said.

Colonel T'Nali walked over to Niona, grabbed her tablet, and handed it to Colonel T'Dank, he suddenly said, "Attention to orders." Jimmy walked over to his Second, and then he read, "By the orders of the Federation of Yellow Lanterns, LTC Iona Iobi, you are hereby promoted to the rank of Colonel. Ordered by the Federation of Yellow Lanterns and signed by General Jimmy McGinnis Commanding."

"Colonel Niona, you are now over all the officers between here and Doraxia."

"Thank you, sir," Niona said.

"Attention to orders," T'Dank said, "By the orders of the Federation of Yellow Lanterns, Colonel T'Nalia, you are hereby promoted to the rank of General. Ordered by the Federation of Yellow Lanterns and signed by General Jimmy McGinnis Commanding."

Jimmy looked over at Captain Jade for a moment, and then asked, "What do you want? If you want the command of the Dragon, then act with constraints."

"I know we have a past, but I've moved on," she said, "I want this command."

Jimmy nodded to T'Dank, and he said, "Attention to orders." Jimmy ripped off Captain Jade's rank, and then T'Dank said, "By the orders of the Federation of Yellow Lanterns, Captain Sparky Jade, you are hereby promoted to the rank of Major. Ordered by the Federation of Yellow Lanterns and signed by General Jimmy McGinnis Commanding."

"The Dragon is yours, Major Jade," Jimmy said, "Please behave accordingly."


End file.
